Tuesday Tracklist: Luke Combs, Heart, Rage Against The Machine, And More (10/17)

In this weekly feature, a different LEO staff member will share 7-10 of the songs they’ve got on repeat right now. (Songs by Louisville artists are marked with an asterisk.) Got a track that you think we’d like? Let us know at [email protected] or at the author’s email below.

Luke Combs — “Hannah Ford Road” 

I got into a bit of a country kick near the end of the summer, and I fell in love with this song right away. It’s a catchy anthem about a forbidden young romance and sneaking out.

Unrelated, but you can download a Luke Combs Zoom background on his website. In case you were wondering.

Luke Bryan — “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”

On that country theme: I know Luke Bryan has his share of haters (a friend of mine says he likes this song only for “the effect it has on girls”), but I’m not one of them. This song also made me realize I need to start going to more country bars.

Heart — “Magic Man”

I will always and forever associate this song with one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written, “The Wizard of Old Louisville,” because I listened to it so much while I was writing. It’s not about an actual wizard — rather, an older flame about whom the narrator is reminiscing — but I always resonated with one part in particular: “Try to understand, try to understand, try, try, try to understand /  He’s a magic man.” That’s exactly what I had to do with my story, and when I listen to this track, I, too, reminisce about all the fun I had writing it. 

Tommy Johansson — “Phantom of the Opera”

I watched “The Phantom of the Opera” [large number redacted] times as a teenager. I am automatically a fan of any cover of any of its songs, especially this one. Tommy Johansson, best known for playing guitar in Sabaton, does a phenomenal job as both the Phantom and Christine. 

bbno$ ft. Rich Brian — “edamame” 

Those violins. The way bbno$ (pronounced “baby no money”) says “clang clang” and “booow.” The… full suits of armor. What’s not to love about this song?

Rage Against the Machine — “Calm Like a Bomb”

Since I’ve been working on a story about Guerrilla Warfare, a local rapcore group that takes a lot of inspiration from Rage Against the Machine and frontman Zack de la Rocha, I’ve added more Rage to my library. This track was my introduction to them a few years ago, and I’ve always loved the simple power of the “Ignite! Ignite! Ignite! Ignite!” etc.

Guerrilla Warfare — “NU.Wav” * 

And, last but not least, Guerrilla Warfare. I’ve listed them in a Tuesday Tracklist before, but that was before I actually got to see them in person (at their Louder Than Life debut, no less!) 

I love this track — right off the bat, GW asserts themselves as a force to be reckoned with (“Sweep us! Under! The rug! We’ll rip the floor right from under your thumb!) and proves it over and over again with a fierce flow and hard beats.