What was playing in September's 2026 Rotation?

Preface

Welcome to another entry about music. Hope you find something that you like! Just remember a few things:

1. Whenever I write about music, it is inevitable that I will describe the feelings that are evoked by it. In this list, we really range across emotion: aggression and inebriation; anger and vitriol; libido and lust; and pain, darkness, loss, and injury.

2. Songs on here are unrestricted by genre, language, and any other type of categorical identifier. But, be advised: This month many songs fell under the metal category.

3. I am not a professional “music reviewer,” whatever that is. Below, I just talk about the songs that I liked, how they make me feel, and what they make me think. Hopefully, you enjoy some of them, too!

4. I use YouTube to find music. All of my playlists are available on my YouTube channel.

The Songs in September’s Rotation

1: Eyes Like Diamonds ft. Danny Worsnop - Frequencies

It is a complete and total understatement to say that the band that may or may not reign in infamy now, Asking Alexandria, completely dominated the metal scene in the late 2000s/early 2010s. It’s an understatement to say that. There was no shortage of excellent bands also dominating the scene then, too. But that’s not an understatement. Asking Alexandria conquered the metal scene. They were metal: As they scream in Reckless & Relentless: “I am Rock and Roll!” That, they were. And we’ll never forget it.

The lead vocalist of Asking Alexandria is (was? Who knows now…) Danny Worsnop. And if you were as fascinated with him as I was as a kid, you would have been doing all sorts of Internet searches to find more and more videos of him. You would have stumbled on the rare footage of him and somebody (who I thought was Ben Bruce, but I guess is not) playing a song in a living room: Danny Worsnop 2007 First Live Video; frankly, you would’ve seen absolutely every single one of their performances during their first sort of trip around the United States; you would have seen Danny inebriated to such an extent that he assaults a fan in Seattle, Washington : Danny From Asking Alexandria Hits fan in Seattle, Asking Alexandria: Danny Worsnop Drunk (Punches Fan) - Seattle (Pt4A), and Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria Drunk in Seattle (and, yes, the audio from one of these videos—probably the third one—makes it into the song Asking Alexandria - Don’t Pray For Me).

Oh, and many years later, you would watch Danny Worsnop himself watch many of the exact videos we just linked to in both Danny Worsnop reacts to his old live (I used to have a best friend ) and Danny Worsnop react to his old live AA performance on song The Single Moment of Sincerity, in which he says, “It’s like watching someone else’s memories.”

So, if you were on the Internet in the early-ish days of YouTube and going through video after video and song after song, you would have also have stumbled upon a video entitled Danny Worsnop Guest Vocals on Eyes Like Diamonds “Frequencies”. In this short video, we see Danny Worsnop being his young, English self and doing guest vocals for a band from Las Vegas, Nevada named “Eyes Like Diamonds.” At one point, it is unclear if he actually whips it out.

But this song was never officially released, and so now it remains on the Internet as this completely epic introductory song to an album that I’ve never heard of. And though it is only 45 seconds long, this introduction is absolutely nuts!! This month, I would just loop the song so it played over and over again, each time building the tension and preparing me for the following song—but the following song was just the same intro again! It’s a chain-reaction!

Asking Alexandria has made an irreversible mark on absolutely every facet of my livelihood… I do not know where the band stands now, either in terms of their primary genre or future aspirations. The band was slammed pretty hard after their Warped Tour performance in 2025, and Ben Bruce has officially retired from the band. So, we will have to see how they progress as a band from here on out.

And I was not somebody who particularly disliked their “less heavy” stuff, though I certainly understand the purists’ frustration. We will always have “Stand Up and Scream,” “Reckless and Relentless,” and “From Death to Destiny” to listen to forever. I don’t mind a mix of Asking Alexandria - Alone in a Room or Asking Alexandria - Antisocialist. I really don’t. (Others do. See the comments under “Antisocialist.”) I also did enjoy their “The Black” era, featuring the suspicious guy Denis Stoff (he was a great vocalist, though). And I will never, ever, ever stop breaking my neck to “A Prophecy,” “Alerion,” “Final Episode.” So, the way I see it is that we have a ton of excellent music from these five English guys (and a Ukrainian) to cherish for the rest of our lives. That is a real gift.

Oh, FYI: Be prepared for Danny’s final comment after “Frequencies” concludes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

2: Spies Like Us - Happy Endings Only Happen in Movies

While we’re at it, let’s talk about more metalcore. Having accumulated only 2.1 million views, the music video for this underrated piece of crabcore was uploaded fifteen damn years ago. (Actually, I guess there is another upload of the music video here: Spies Like Us - Happy Endings Only Happen in Movies . This one has 3 million views.)

This song (was one of many that) got me through the upsetting Exodus Days. Every time it comes up on the shuffle I get out of my head and into its craziness. First of all: that scream at the beginning? It’s not Chester Bennington’s 17-second scream in Linkin Park - Given Up or Austin Carlile’s 13-second scream in Of Mice & Men - This One’s For You. Of course, nobody’s really keeping track of that scoreboard… Or are we? Anyway!

I have to laugh: Yes, musically, this song is a little all over the place, but I just love it. It goes back and forth between high screams and breakdowns and clean choruses in such an unpredictable fashion. But it just fills you with this inebriated energy. These days, when the song comes on, I do not switch the song, which I might otherwise do. Listening to it is like an entire opera, with acts and scenes and intermissions; I have to sit for the entire duration!

The music video looks like it was filmed on the top floor of a parking ramp. Now, if you know anything about me, you know that parking ramps are my sanctuaries. I (relatively) recently ventured onto the rooftop at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota and another one in Denver, Colorado and a disrespectful automated voice told me to get off the top floor because I was trespassing. That angered me. When I was younger and skipping my Catechism class in downtown Minneapolis, I would escape to the top floor of the parking lot right next to the Basilica of St. Mary and watch the sunset strike the skyscrapers. I often fantasized about getting my friends together with their guitars and somehow lugging a drum set up to the top floor of a parking ramp and jamming out for an hour or two. But with this godforsaken new directive, we’d probably have the SWAT team on our tail in minutes. Now, if there is anything good about Charlottesville, Virginia , it is that I know that nobody is paying attention to what happens at the top of these parking lots. So… stay tuned?

3: Lil Bow Wow ft. Snoop Dogg - Bow Wow (That’s My Name)

I discovered the producer TellaX by finding one of perhaps the most iconic all-styles rounds in a dance battle that I’ve ever seen. (The video is 4 -2 DOYAH(BE) VS NEMA(KR) HIPHOP SEMI FINALㅣ2026 LINE UP XI🇰🇷). Doyah’s (Belgium) second round is one of the most captivating all-styles rounds I’ve ever seen. As the commenters observed, it is hard to believe he improvised the entire thing. He hits every beat and every sound. It’s jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring. As much as I love Nema (South Korea), it was this round by Doyah that drove me to watch all of his battles in this event. And he ended up getting first place. Well-deserved.

TellaX - Tragedy was the song that played for Doyah’s second round. I took a look at it on YouTube, and I discovered that some people didn’t know where the sample came from. Well, now you know. The sample is now 26 years old. It comes straight out of a Lil Bow Wow song. How do people not know about him?

Lil Bow Wow, I fear, will be lost to history. But how is that possible? There is no question he dominated this era, with everything from Like Mike (2002) , featuring his song Lil Bow Wow - Basketball ft. Fabolous, Fundisha & Jermaine Dupri , to the cult classic, the iconic, the generation-defining, the legendary, the absolutely top of the top The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) . So, it is astounding to me that people didn’t recognize his voice:

Hair nappy, but I’m happy, pocket full of dough

From the C-O, representin’ So So

But, of course, some people just don’t know, and that’s alright.

(It seems that the original music video for Lil Bow Wow - Basketball ft. Fabolous, Fundisha & Jermaine Dupri was removed from YouTube? That breaks my heart! I listened to the “official audio” video Basketball, and it doesn’t have the announcers saying, “It’s gonna be a beautiful day of Basketball today, folks. We’re not just talking about regular Basketball—we’re talking about street ball!” Even a re-upload of a rip of the music video, Lil Bow Wow ft. Fabolous, Fundisha & Jermaine Dupri - Basketball (Official Video), doesn’t have the damn audio. After some more searching, I found a re-upload from 2009 hasn’t yet been noticed by the YouTube Gods, so you can hear what the announcers have to say: Lil Bow Wow-Basketball.)

When I was younger, I tried to play Basketball, having been inspired by not only Lil Bow Wow’s song and Like Mike (2002) , but also—and who wouldn’t be inspired after watching— Space Jam (1996) , which I must’ve watched about 100 times. (When I taught sixth-grade English in 南京 , I actually pulled several scenes from Space Jam (1996) . How did I get away with that…?) But, in 6th grade, I played too hard and fell directly onto my front tooth, causing half of it to split off and slide across the floor like a hockey puck. That’s true! To this day, half of my front tooth is completely fake. But don’t get too close to inspect it…

4. Elitist - Caves

This is song that totally slipped my radar. I happened upon it all because I found the thumbnail to the music video kind of funny.

I was a little confused when I first listened to this song. Something about the in-and-out of melodic parts and breakdowns wasn’t hitting me immediately. I was even having trouble with the fancy breakdown near the end of the song. But I listened more and more because there was a strange allure. The singer alternating between full-on screams, half-screams, and the strained voice, shouting,

Feel yourself turn away

Feel yourself cry in pain

And I think I hear the double-kick sometimes. And you know how much I love my double kick (see Crystal Lake - Apollo).

Then, I realized something: The song is sort of in the style of August Burns Red - Composure, a complete and total timeless classic now.

Pull it together, button up your shirt

Roll down those sleeves, don’t let them see how you’ve coped

It’s not the first time

And they’re getting deeper

This is one of those songs where those who don’t really like metal will not understand. You know? There is a reason why we’re out here on a dirt road and screaming about moving forward and keeping it together. So, the music video and sound of Elitist - Caves hit a familiar chord. I also found that “Caves” is a real metal opera, just like Spies Like Us - Happy Endings Only Happen in Movies is; you’re in it for the whole thing. And some of the lyrics are pretty haunting…

The demons are getting closer, the blood boils within your veins

Let there be light upon this earth

There is no reason, there’s isolation, you are alone

Don’t the corner, close your thoughts

Take in darkness

5. Tinashe - I’d Rather Be Alone

I talked about Tinashe in the August review (What was playing in August’s 2026 Rotation?). Well, she’s back!

There’s a “genre” of music that I myself like to call “psychedelic,” but it has nothing to do with psych-trance or anything like that. Rather, music that is psychedelic to me is the type that just seeps into your ears and possesses your mind; you completely melt into the music. This psychedelic music often has a strong and warm bass supporting everything else. Often, there are airy synths that blow in the treble ranges, but that’s not any kind of requirement. Really, to mechanistically characterize this type of music according to the presence of various musical patterns and instruments squeezes out what I think is the most important aspect of it: the feeling of envelopment and disintegration. One reason I love Tinashe’s music is because she excels in making you melt into her music. She’s featured several times on my “psychedelic” playlist: Tinashe - Like I Used To, Tinashe - Bet, Tinashe ft. A$AP ROCKY - Pretend, Tinashe ft. Travi$ Scott, and many others.

Now, although this song is smooth and gentle and “psychedelic,” its lyrics are actually pretty sad. Tinashe has been singing for years about finding somebody who can, well, “match her freak” (see Tinashe - Nasty). In this song, she reveals that she’ll have to let go of somebody she adores because they simply cannot accommodate for her. After being through the wringer so frequently and to find somebody that you really like but who just cannot fit you in the way you need is devastating. Sadly, the best thing to do is probably to, yes, be alone, instead of waiting around forever:

Oh, I, I’d rather be alone

Than spend my life holding on forever with you

6. CALLI - GIRLZ GIRLZ

Now this was an awesome find. And I thought KKECHO was cool (KKECHO / DR1P - 青城山下).

When I started off, everything was going well and sounding great. And then I heard

und wenn sie sagen, mach nicht so dann ma ich so

I realized I was in for something special.

CALLI just has the sound. She’s completely mastered it. The sound is as raw and fresh as it ever could be. Originality!

Now, even though this song was released on YouTube on June 11th, 2026, I must be a little early to the party, because all the comments are in German and this song does not yet have Genius.com lyrics. (A ton of CALLI’s other songs have Genius.com transcripts.)

7. Primer 55 - Loose

Do you remember Korn? How about Limp Bizkit? What about Primer 55?

If you hadn’t heard of Primer 55, don’t be upset. I hadn’t heard of them either. It turns out that they were playing on the metal/rock scene around the same time as those other bands! They embody that 2000s sound, that alternating between heavy rock and rap—the so-called “rap metal” genre. This is the Mountain Dew, the Doritos, the Rock Band , the CRTs, the split-screen. This era was a magical intersection of rap/hip-hop, rock and metal, video games (like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Halo: Combat Evolved ).

A big thanks to my lab mate for introducing me to Primer 55!

8. Spiritbox - Mourning

It wouldn’t be a Fall month unless we found a song that causes a collapse onto the lonely concrete underneath the whispy skies of early evenings. Spiritbox recently released a new song in this vein. I feared immediately from the title alone, though, that it could send me spiraling… Remember Alesana - Early Mourning?

Stylistically, this song is unique: Courtney LaPlante (singer) does not scream, and Spiritbox bassist Josh Gilbert is featured on the back-up vocals. It’s melodic, soothing, searching, and reckoning. It’s reaching, stretching out, it’s gaping and grasping. Oh, ouch. It hurts.

I live in symbiosis with Spiritbox. I listened to Spiritbox - Jaded about 500 times in the year of 2024. I was enraptured. “Jaded” tugged at every chord in my body. Every last one. Another one that ensnared me was Spiritbox - The Void, although this song imparts much more excitement instead of initiating disintegration like “Jaded.”

And, yes:

My denial keeps you here.

Yes. I admit I am guilty of this. A few happenings during my brief time in Laurel, Maryland recently caused me to think about this. This song tugs. It tugs at the corners of my eyes. I don’t tear up, though. I think I’m doing all right these days. Happily, I am not keeping you there in all circumstances. But, yes, definitely in a few.

9. Lah Pat - Kamikaze

This is the song of the month. I listened to this song probably 200 times this month. My phone kept warning me to turn down the volume: “Loud listening time: 2 h 39 m [Loud].”

I mentioned in the previous post What was playing in August’s 2026 Rotation? that I found Papa Jay - Work Dat through Lah Pat. That is because, ever since Lah Pat released Lah Pat - Rodeo (feat. Flo Milli) [Remix] (now three damn years ago), which is just sexual magic, I’ve been on the lookout for anything he releases. Although “Kamikaze” was released before “Rodeo,” once I discovered Lah Pat I had to go back through his entire discography. As one does.

Strangely, I seem to recall listening to this track a while ago, but I guess it fell off my radar. Glad my sonar picked it up again. This man rides the sensual beat like nobody I’ve heard recently. It is just liquid libido, exuding sexual confidence and release.

I can’t believe the music video has less than a million views. How?! I have a vague recollection that may be completely hallucinatory that this song (and music video) at one point had over fifty million views. Well, that’s still too few people who know.

10. Kamelen - Beng Beng Beng

My obsession with Norwegian rap developed in 2018. Artists like Kaveh (now Kaven Ali Mohammed), Arshad Maimouni, Store P, Kamelen, the rap group Dårlig Vane (of which Martin Hazy is a member), Unge Ferrari, Hkeem, and Temur. I listened to these guys ten billion times and understood a grand total of 0% of what they were saying. It was the best. And I really, really, really liked Kaveh’s music.

However, there is hands-down one song that is the hardest thing to come out of Norway. And that is Kamelen - Beng Beng Beng. The thumbnail to this music video is all you need. You might think the song is just another banal trap beat, with a typical and simple, single-keyed piano scale repeating over and over, kind of like the classic, genre-defining OG Mago - U Guessed It. But it is not. After the first sixteen bars, after clearing his throat, Kamalen comes full-on, aggressive, and ready to fight:

Eg e inne på det, ute på det

Ingen så det, Boost-såle

Farlig måte, bensin på bålet

And I only understand a single thing in this entire song: the word “fuck.” (There are other English words, obviously, like “swag.” But, actually, the lyric is: “fuck swag, man…”)

As far as I understand it, Kamelen is quite big in Norway. Kamelen did an entire symphonic concert with the Red Bull label (Red Bull Symphonic x Kamelen & BFUng (Full konsert))[https://youtu.be/ys4MmkOY2_o]. Now, if my memory serves me right, content branded with Red Bull typically receives up to millions of views. Kamelen’s concert only has (as of this writing) 22,000 views. This confuses the hell out of me. Usually, when a damn orchestra is sitting behind a group of performers who do not produce orchestral pieces, you know you’ve done something right. The best example of this that I can think of right now is when Bring Me The Horizon performed their major songs at the Royal Albert Hall: Bring Me The Horizon – It Never Ends (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) (7.7 million views as of this writing).

So, what gives? We should feel blessed to be graced with this intravenous aggression. Say it with me:

Beng Beng Beng, eg e unge Kamelen

Beng Beng Beng, eg har pakker med G

Beng Beng Beng, lyncher deg ned

Beng Beng Beng, du må fucke med det

Notes/References:

1. “The band was slammed pretty hard after their Warped Tour performance in 2025…” One of the major criticisms of Asking Alexandria’s performance at the Warped Tour in 2025 was that they played Asking Alexandria - Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel) but Danny Worsnop barely participated in any of the screams. But it’s not just that: It was evident from the backtrack that they re-dubbed the screaming part since they first released the song and Danny still did not even bother to do the re-hashed screams. (The timestamp of this is available here: Asking Alexandria - Live at Vans Warped Tour 30 Years (Washington D.C.) 2025 (FULL SET) (FULL HD) ) So, that’s sort of a double-insult to many people.

2. “…and Ben Bruce has officially retired from the band.” This information was announced on one of Asking Alexandria’s Instagram stories (which means it’s likely no longer available as a primary source), and then was covered several times by various news outlets. Asking Alexandria Founder Ben Bruce Announces His Exit From The Band, Founding ASKING ALEXANDRIA Guitarist BEN BRUCE Leaves The Band, and we have a separate Instagram post from rockfeednet.

3. "…There’s a “genre” of music that I myself like to call “psychedelic,’ …” For some more examples, see my playlist Psychedelic. Maybe you can tell me better what musical elements actually define this feeling!

4. “And I thought KKECHO was cool.” Who is KKECHO? You’d better learn quickly. She’s a Chinese rapper who surged to stardom after her release of an absolutely godly series of songs, including (but not limited to)KKECHO - 抽象画家, KKECHO - 悲惨人生, and KKECHO ft.YOUNG13DBABY - 圣安地列斯. Don’t even get me started on this album… I love it too much.

5. “…Bring Me The Horizon performed their major songs at the Royal Albert Hall.” See my favorite performance here: Bring Me The Horizon – It Never Ends (Live at the Royal Albert Hall).

6. “…kind of like OG Maco - U Guessed It.” To my incredible dismay, I learned that OG Maco died two years ago. After he was infected with flesh-eating bacteria, he attempted suicide and died in the hospital two weeks later. OG Maco’s joke song “U Guessed It” got millions of views, but his other work remained largely untouched. How? I have been saved more times over than can count on my fingers because of OG Maco - Vanity.

Updates:

None yet.