Up first in our latest edition is a fantastic song by Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica. This song, almost certainly their most epic offering, was among a number of songs that powered me through my early years in college. It tells a tragic tale of doomed love and death as a lighthouse keeper romances the object of his desire. It was so good that a decade after its release the band released a sequel (also a good song in its own right) on their latest album. At about 9 minutes it's a little on the long side, but well worth it. This is "White Pearl, Black Oceans" by Sonata Arctica.

Now for a bit of a change in tempo and atmosphere. I first saw the band Hundred Waters when they were opening for Interpol in 2015 in Miami Beach. I expected nothing and was blown away. This song comes from their excellent album "The Moon Rang Like a Bell." This is "Xtalk."

This next song is absolutely hilarious in a TMI sort of way. Lil Dicky's "Ex Boyfriend" is a song about meeting your girlfriend's ex-boyfriend and realizing he's much better than you in every perceivable way.

Next we have a song from the landmark Daft Punk album, Discovery. This song is one I didn't get into until very recently, but now I have I can't help but ask why I didn't absolutely love it before. Soothing, sensual, intimate, with just a dash of funk thrown in. The video paired with this song is actually from a Daft Punk animated movie called Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, which was created to realize the album Discovery. This is "Something About Us."

And last up, how about a classic that I just heard in a Publix while waiting for the deli people to slice me up some corned beef? This is Dobie Gray's "Drift Away."