Tunes Du Jour Celebrates Brothers And Sisters Day

May 2 is Brothers And Sisters Day, and today on the old blogorooni is a playlist of 30 duos or groups that include siblings. I didn’t include EVERY set of brothers and sisters, as I limit these playlists to 30 songs, so apologies to the Brothers Allman, the Sisters Pointer and all the other qualifying worthwhile acts. I’ll get you next time.

Here’s what is included:

**Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis**

This anthem of Britpop is fueled by the volatile but brilliant creative tension between Manchester’s most famous brothers, Noel and Liam Gallagher.

**Gaslighter – The Chicks**

While Natalie Maines takes the lead, the group’s foundation is built on the masterful musicianship of sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer.

**God Only Knows – The Beach Boys**

The ethereal harmonies of this masterpiece are anchored by the Wilson brothers (Brian, Dennis, and Carl), proving that “family blend” is a real sonic phenomenon.

**Let It Be Me – The Everly Brothers**

Don and Phil Everly practically invented the art of close-harmony singing, influencing every duo that followed in their footsteps.

**Mmmbop – Hanson**

Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson took the world by storm as youngsters, showcasing a tight-knit musical bond that has kept them recording together for decades.

**The Rain, The Park & Other Things – The Cowsills**

The real-life inspiration for The Partridge Family, this family band featured six siblings and their mother creating pure sunshine-pop gold.

**Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Sly & The Family Stone**

Sly, Freddie, and Rose Stone revolutionized funk and soul as a multi-talented family unit at the heart of the psychedelic era.

**She Talks To Angels – The Black Crowes**

Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson have steered the Black Crowes through decades of rock and roll, proving that sibling rivalry can be a powerful creative engine.

**Sex On Fire – Kings Of Leon**

The Followill clan—brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared, plus cousin Matthew—turned their Southern upbringing into global stadium-rock stardom.

**Private Idaho – The B-52’s**

The quirky genius of the B-52’s was spearheaded in part by the late Ricky Wilson and his sister Cindy, whose shared vision helped define the New Wave era.

**You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC**

The backbone of the “Thunder from Down Under” was the rock-solid rhythm section and songwriting partnership of brothers Angus and Malcolm Young.

**Summer Girl – HAIM**

The Haim sisters (Este, Danielle, and Alana) are the modern standard-bearers for sibling synergy, blending West Coast cool with effortless familial intuition.

**Crazy Horses – The Osmonds**

Proving they were more than just teen idols, the Osmond brothers cranked up the fuzz pedals for this surprisingly heavy slice of 70s rock.

**Hot Line – The Sylvers**

With nine siblings in the lineup, The Sylvers brought a massive, coordinated family energy to the disco and R&B charts.

**Goodbye to Love – The Carpenters**

Richard and Karen Carpenter combined his meticulous arrangements with her once-in-a-generation voice to create some of the most enduring pop music ever made.

**Oh Carolina – Folkes Brothers**

John, Mico, and Junior Folkes helped lay the groundwork for ska and reggae with their historic collaborations in 1960s Jamaica.

**Baby, I Love You – The Ronettes**

Centered around sisters Ronnie and Estelle Bennett (and their cousin Nedra), The Ronettes defined the Girl Group sound with their powerhouse vocals.

**Eddie My Love – The Teen Queens**

Sisters Betty and Rosie Collins achieved 1950s stardom as teenagers, delivering some of the most soulful doo-wop harmonies of the era.

**I Can Never Go Home Anymore – The Shangri-Las**

This dramatic masterpiece features two sets of sisters—the Weiss siblings and the Ganser twins—who brought operatic intensity to pop music.

**My Golden Years – The Lemon Twigs**

Brian and Michael D’Addario carry the torch for baroque pop, displaying a musical shorthand that only brothers who grew up playing together could possess.

**Crazy on You – Heart**

Ann and Nancy Wilson shattered the glass ceiling of 70s rock, combining powerhouse vocals with virtuoso guitar playing in a sisterly bond that remains unbreakable.

**Hero Takes a Fall – Bangles**

Sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson formed the core of the Bangles, blending 60s garage-rock influence with perfect sibling vocal stacks.

**I’ll Be Good To You – The Brothers Johnson**

George “Lightnin’ Licks” and Louis “Thunder Thumbs” Johnson brought a sophisticated, funk-fueled sibling energy to R&B.

**Stay Gold – First Aid Kit**

Klara and Johanna Söderberg of Sweden create folk music so intimate and harmonically precise it feels like they are sharing a single voice.

**Closer – Tegan And Sara**

Identical twins Tegan and Sara Quin have evolved from indie-folk to synth-pop icons, always maintaining the distinct perspective of their shared life experiences.

**Who’s That Lady – The Isley Brothers**

Spanning several generations of the Isley family, this legendary group turned sibling collaboration into a decades-long hit machine.

**Mama’s Pearl – Jackson 5**

The gold standard for family bands, the Jackson brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael) displayed a level of professional polish that redefined pop music.

**Rock & Roll Fantasy – The Kinks**

Ray and Dave Davies are the definitive “battling brothers” of rock, but their lifelong collaboration resulted in one of the most influential catalogs in history.

**Full of Fire – The Knife**

Karin Dreijer and Olof Dreijer of Sweden push the boundaries of electronic music, using their sibling bond to explore avant-garde and experimental sounds.

**Saints – The Breeders**

When Kim Deal recruited her twin sister Kelley to join The Breeders, they created some of the most iconic and infectious alternative rock of the 90s.

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Tunes Du Jour Presents 2009

Looking at a list of songs from 2009 feels a bit like opening a time capsule. It’s a year that feels both incredibly recent and like a completely different era. The internet had firmly established itself as the primary engine of music discovery, yet the monoculture of massive, universally-known hits was still holding on. It was a year of distinct, confident sounds, where different genres weren’t just blending together, but thriving in their own parallel lanes. From stadium-sized anthems to bedroom-born electronic experiments, the music of 2009 was defined by a remarkable breadth of creativity.

One of the most prominent stories of the year was the flourishing of indie rock. This wasn’t the scrappy, underground sound of years past; this was indie at its most ambitious and critically adored. You had the intricate, harmony-drenched compositions of Grizzly Bear on “Two Weeks” and the hypnotic, looping bliss of Animal Collective’s “My Girls.” These were songs that rewarded close listening. Elsewhere, artists like Bat For Lashes (“Daniel”) and Dirty Projectors (“Stillness Is The Move”) were crafting their own unique sonic worlds, while bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (“Zero”) and Japandroids (“Young Hearts Spark Fire”) delivered pure, cathartic energy. It was a moment where “alternative” music felt like it was setting the cultural agenda.

Meanwhile, the top of the charts was being shaped by bold new directions in pop and hip-hop. Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” wasn’t just a song; it was a high-concept art project, signaling a new level of theatricality in pop music. This stood alongside the effortless, feel-good charm of Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” and Kelly Clarkson’s powerhouse hit-making on “My Life Would Suck Without You.” In hip-hop, the genre’s emotional palette was expanding dramatically. You had Jay-Z and Alicia Keys delivering a timeless, triumphant anthem with “Empire State Of Mind,” while at the same time, Kanye West’s auto-tuned melancholy on “Heartless” and Kid Cudi’s spacey introspection on “Day ‘N’ Nite” were paving the way for a more vulnerable sound. The arrival of Drake with “Best I Ever Had” confirmed this shift toward melody and emotional openness was here to stay.

This wasn’t to say that straightforward rock and roll had been left behind. On the contrary, it was a year of massive, unifying rock anthems. Kings Of Leon reached their popular peak with “Use Somebody,” a song that seemed to be playing in every stadium and on every radio station in the world. The UK, meanwhile, was providing its own distinct contributions, from the grand, theatrical rebellion of Muse’s “Uprising” and the clever songwriting of Arctic Monkeys on “Cornerstone” to the dance-floor-ready energy of Franz Ferdinand’s “Ulysses.”

Looking back at this collection of songs, what’s most striking is the confidence of it all. It was a year where artists were creating fully realized worlds for listeners to step into. Whether it was the raw nerve of The Ting Tings, the grime-infused electro of Dizzee Rascal’s “Bonkers,” or the classic synth-pop of Pet Shop Boys, each track feels like a distinct statement. It was a time when you could have a playlist that jumped from an introspective indie ballad to a global pop phenomenon, and the whole thing made perfect sense. It was the sound of several different musical futures all happening at once.

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 6-21-24

On the latest UK Top 100 singles chart, The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” from their 2004 debut album Hot Fuss, moves up from number 66 to number 63 in its 415th week on that chart. I think it’s on its way to hit song status.

The Killers’ Brandon Flowers was born on this date in 1981. A handful of that band’s songs are included on today’s playlist.

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 9-11-23

Richard Ashcroft’s original plan was to release the songs he wrote for Urban Hymns under his own name, but he got cold feet. Shortly after the album’s release The Verve broke up, briefly reforming in 2007.

The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft was born on this date in 1971. The singles issued from his band’s Urban Hymns are included on today’s playlist.

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