Obsessions (Jan 2026)
The flu delayed me, but not even a super virus can stop my obsessions!! I started Five Obsessions as an homage to my long defunct Pigeons and Planes column “5 On It.” But why confine myself to five of my favorite songs or albums each month when I could simply list more things I like? Each month, typically every second Saturday, I’ll share some new songs. Some old. Some new to me. Some revisited. All the music I have on repeat.
You can listen to the running list of Applied Science favorites in the Spotify playlist below and read about this week’s specific picks below that. And if you’re looking for an archive of all my 2025 Obsessions, voila.
Choker - “Proof”
New(er) Jack Swing.
Junior Mesa - “Will I love again?”
A question for the ages, a sound for the now.
Moskino - “General Gadafi”
I believe every single thing Moskino says because of how he says it.
Raekwon, Jadakiss, Styles P - “Broken Safety”
Zohran Mamdani, please, bring Jadakiss and Styles P into NY city government.
David Banner - “What It Do”
Every few years I rediscover a David Banner song and remember that he is one of the best rappers and producers from the early 2000s that doesn’t get the love his contemporaries do, but my god this song (produced by the equally under-celebrated KLC, No Limit’s long time in-house secret weapon) rumbles.
Arima Aderra - “Heard What You Said”
Quiet storm.
Veeze - “Signed a Napkin”
2025 was a banner year for people who rap everywhere but directly on the beat.
Michael Sneed - “he’s got the…shakes!”
Rap like a sax solo, solo like a rapper.
A$AP Rocky - “NO TRESPASSING”
I don’t know if this is a sneak Drake diss and I am contractually biased because I work with the people who produced this but it reminds me of the feeling I got when I first heard A$AP Rocky and that makes me happy.