Profligate’s Noah Anthony Shares His Year-End Playlist – AdHoc

Profligate’s Noah Anthony Shares His Year-End Playlist

Profligate is the electronic project of Philadelphia-based Noah Anthony. Throughout his many releases—including the upcoming Somewhere Else, out January 5th on Wharf Cat Records—Anthony toes the line between industrial grime, haunting ambient, and dancefloor pop. In AdHoc's review of 2016's Abbreviated Regime, we noted his "richly euphonious songs that are both deeply transformative and spiritually moving." Ahead of his record release show on January 19th at Secret Project Robot, we asked Anthony to share some songs he's had on repeat this year; he responded with twelve songs that, in his words, are a mix of "new discoveries [he's] had in steady rotation over the past year or so, along with some other perennial favorites." Check out his playlist below.

1. Donna Summer – "Grand Illusion"

What I'd give to be a fly on the wall during these sessions. This is from The Wanderer LP, which is otherwise kind of a dud. I think this is near the end of her run with Giorgio Moroder. There's some deep psychosis in the mix here. If you're like me and crave more of this, there's a nine-minute extended mix on YouTube which I must recommend. 


2. The Nuns – "It's a Dream"

I don't know much about this group and the few other tracks I've heard have more of a post-punk sound, but this is a lovely aching pop tune with impeccable lyrics. "It's the ghost of you all around / It's the saddest thing I've ever seen / It's a dream / It's a nightmare."

3. Daughn Gibson – "Lookin' Back on '99"

I remember hearing about this guy when All Hell came out in 2012 but somehow managed to sleep on it until recently. It's kind of a perfect record to me and it's difficult to pick a single track, but "Lookin' Back on '99" will do. 4. The Magnetic Fields – "Tokyo a Go-Go"

How I've managed to not hear a single song from this band ever until recently kind of blows my mind, but there it is. My roommate Ryan was playing The Wayward Bus one day, and I was hooked. This song in particular caught my ear and has a certain enigmatic quality to it with its murky production and cool, smoky vocals from Susan Anway.5. ABBA – "Under Attack"

I love ABBA. They are untouchable pop geniuses. Everyone knows this. Here's their very last single that's a little slice of heaven I only discovered recently. 6. Clan of Xymox – "Louise"

Just a fun little goth tune here. It doesn't feel much like winter at all on the West Coast, but my black and shivering goth heart that lives on in a barren field somewhere between the Midwest and the East pleads and begs and cries out for Louuuiiissse.7. Leonard Cohen – "Memories"

From the Phil Spector affair Death of a Ladies' Man, this song, which I can't help but relate to "Telephone Line" by Electric Light Orchestra, is kind of a desperate-sounding take on male entitlement and adolescence, accompanied by a warped doo wop arrangement courtesy of Spector. Cohen has said it's one of his least significant songs. Ha Ha!8. En Esch – "Cum"

My old friend Jason Dean put this on a mixtape for me so many years ago, and I thank you Jason. Just an odd, sexy song that I love.9. Ashra – "Sunrain"

I heard this jam on the tail end of a tour in September with Collin Gorman Weiland. I've probably listened to it a hundred times since then. Great for driving around aimlessly and sitting in traffic for hours in Los Angeles. 10. Kelela – "Enough"

Ok, I almost forgot about this one..The only record I really cared about from 2017.11. Shudder to Think – "X-French Tee Shirt"

As a show in Providence was winding down a few years ago and we were all sitting around chilling, Schozy says to me, "Yo this is the jam, you've got to hear it," at which time The Mag runs over to the PA and throws on this song. I sort of dismissed it because I probably couldn't focus at all on what was happening at the time, and I felt deep disappointment from the boys. So a little later, we all wander over to Wendy's house, and we're just standing around Jeremy's gear, and he puts the song on again at maximum volume. Keep in mind this is like three in the morning. I still didn't get it but was having a really wonderful night with my friends (Wendy was so chill she actually let the song's kind of absurdly repetitive ending play out before finally kicking us out. Thanks Wendy!). Finally, at some point earlier this year I arbitrarily looked it up and quietly listened on headphones and was pretty blown away. This song is WEIRD. To think that this was the track they deemed the single for the album. 12. This Mortal Coil – "Not Me"

Cool song!

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