Episode 45 - Röyksopp
I'm struggling to write something here because there is a lot to cover. To start, for the last few months, I've been listening to Röyksopp's latest album "Nebulous Nights (An Ambient Excursion into Profound Mysteries)". It's a great album; it's almost 2.5 hours long, meant to be experienced with headphones, and it's one of the best things to listen to each night to unwind. I'm not including any songs from that album on this playlist because it's a concept album that should be experienced as a whole. Given how much I've been listening to the album, I felt it was a good time to cover them here.
I've been a fan of Röyksopp right before their first album was released. How is that possible? Thanks to the magical time that is the early days of the internet. I can't recall how (I think it was via IRC and if you don't know what IRC is, it's basically Slack before Slack existed with a higher barrier of entry), but I befriended someone online that is from Bergen, Norway and she sent me some MP3s of a local band that she was really into, and that band was Drum Island.
You were expecting me to say Röyksopp? That's the thing, they started out as Drum Island but then they went to a duo and the name changed to Röyksopp. Now during this time (late 90s/early 00s), Nu-Metal was the stuff that most radio stations were playing and that just wasn't my scene. Röyksopp was a breath of fresh air for me. There was a playfulness to their music that really drew me in. And when their first album, "Melody A.M." was released, it was just amazing. Add to the fact that a few months before their release, another friend of mine introduced me to another Norwegian band from the same town called Kings of Convenience and one of its singers did the vocals on two of Röyksopp's songs; "Poor Leno" and "Remind Me".
That also started a trend for the band; using guest vocalists. Besides Erland Øye of Kings of Convenience, they've featured Karin Dreijer of The Knife, Lykke Li, and probably their most successful collaborator in my opinion, Robyn.
Another thing that really drew me into the band was when I saw their concert in Boston at The Paradise. They are one of the best bands to see live, hands down. To this day, that concert tops my list of the most fun I've ever had at a concert. Their playfulness and shoot from the hip demeanor just gave the audience a certain energy that I can't describe other than infectious.
For this playlist, I tried to avoid their purely instrumental songs because I do want to make another instrumental playlist to feature here and they will be featured pretty extensively on that one. The 11 songs here I think cover a decent spectrum, showcasing their playful pop focused side, the more chill/ambient stylings, and even their more aggressive tone that they sometimes show.
If you ever have a chance to check them out, I highly recommend going.
Eple - Röyksopp
What Else is There? - Röyksopp
The Girl and The Robot - Röyksopp
Monument - Röyksopp with Robyn
Sparks - Röyksopp
This Must Be It - Röyksopp
Do It Again - Röyksopp with Robyn
Someone Like Me - Röyksopp
Poor Leno - Röyksopp
Only This Moment - Röyksopp
The Night - Röyksopp (featuring Alison Goldfrapp)
Episode 44 - The YouTube Playlist
I keep a YouTube playlist of song links that people send me to listen to. I decided to go through that playlist and choose 10 songs from it. While the original playlist is pretty diverse in genres, I decided to pick out ones that fall more into the shoegaze category.
A Cowboy Song - Kean Kavanagh
Punish - Ethel Cain
A Shot in the Dark - Ghost Cop
Tired Boy - Sunday (1994)
Beauty - GRMLN
Vapour Trail - Ride
Fairground - deary
Howl - Jake Houlsby
About You - The 1975
Slowbleed - Alison's Halo
Episode 43 - Forgotten Gems
So this came about due to two things; first one being "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" by Whale. I was watching Amoeba Music's YouTube channel where they interview a celebrity or a musician and ask them "what's in their bag", meaning if they were shopping that day at Amoeba Music, what would that person buy. I believe it was Marc Maron that selected Whale and I was like "oh, shit, I haven't heard them in a while".
The other was a post on the r/Boston subreddit where a person posted the old WFNX logo and asked "who else misses this station", to which I replied that I do every single day. And it's true; I miss WFNX, WDRE, Xfm in the UK and others. Sure, KEXP and other stations fill the void, but sometimes I don't want an overly ecletic mix of different genres. I miss that semi-commercial alternative scene every so often and sadly, most of those stations today mainly just play songs as if it's an oldies station and don't do enough to mix heritage songs with new music.
Fix Up, Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascal
Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe - Whale
Drinking in L.A. - Bran Van 3000
Touched - VAST
Battleflag - Lo Fidelity Allstars
Scooby Snacks - Fun Lovin' Criminals
History Repeating - Propellerheads (with Shirley Bassey)
Witness (1 Hope) - Roots Manuva
Show Me - Mint Royale (with Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Blinded by the Lights - The Streets
Episode 42 - Resist
Plainly put, fuck this administration. Fuck Putin's orange fluffer. Fuck Stephen Miller and fuck Elon Musk. The best terms to describe Trump's administration is evil, ignorant, racist, and ultimately, un-American.
Where's the Revolution? - Depeche Mode
Fight the Power - Public Enemy
I Ain't Goin' Out Like That - Cypress Hill
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will be Next - Manic Street Preachers
American Idiot - Green Day
Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
The Kids Aren't Alright - The Offspring
Take Back the Power - The Interrupters
Rise Above - Black Flag
All you Fascists - Billy Bragg featuring Wilco
Episode 41
My first month of being 50 comes to a close. Overall, it's no different, but it did lead to some self-reflection and processing my own mortality. This playlist is just a collection of songs that relate to that. Nothing more than that, so there isn't anything to read into this. Just a fact of life.
Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen
ONE MORE TIME - blink-182
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
I Will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
Dream On - Aerosmith
Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
Forever Young - Alphaville
In the End - Linkin Park
Sinking - The Cure
Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips