Episode 64 - Darkwave-esque
I can't tell you why exactly I've been in a mood for darkwave/goth/whatever you want to call it. It's spring and normally I'd want something light and bright in tone like Freestyle or my ultimate "it's nice weather" song of Underworld's "Always Loved a Film". But this spring seems to be more of a dark yet danceable vibe.
Now before fans of the genres in this playlist say I went the unimaginative path with my selection, I know. Trust me, I know that "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a very generic selection and the inclusion of "Reptile" is a bit confusing. But everyone has to start somewhere and I think these songs help new listeners ease a bit better.
Cuts You Up - Peter Murphy
Lucretia My Reflection - The Sisters of Mercy
One Hundred Years - The Cure
Headhunter V1.0 - Front 242
She Wants Revenge - These Things
Work for Love - Ministry
Reptile - The Church
Cities in Dust - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Shadowplay - Joy Division
Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
Episode 63 - Radio Days
Here's my version of the "what were you like in the 90s" trend. For a brief period in my life, I worked in radio and honestly, it was the best job to have, especially when you're young. Besides literally being paid to listen to music, you get to hang out with people who are also passionate about music. This playlist is a collection of songs that we were playing at the station I worked at. Yeah, there are way more than 10, but these stick with me the most.
Episode 62
This is delayed due to family in town and still finalizing stuff here and there related to our move. I finally got to set up the speakers in my listening room but need to decorate it a bit because the plain walls are killing me. After I set up the speakers, I wanted something a bit chill to listen to and that's how this playlist came about.
Promise - Laufey
Bloodstream - Stateless
White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
The Goo - FIG
A Night to Remember - beabadoobee with Laufey
Miss Misery - Elliot Smith
No One Noticed - The Marias
My Love Mine All Mine - Mitski
Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
Georgia - Phoebe Bridgers
Episode 61
So this may be the most special playlist to date. Even moreso than the one I did for my 50th birthday. This playlist comes from my godson.
Right before Christmas, his mom (and one of my closest friends) was planning on buying an album for him and wanted to know if I knew of a place where she could find the album for cheaper than the going price on eBay. After that conversation, I decided to stream the album she asked about and I was admittedly a little surprised. Overall, his parents and I have similar taste in music, but I feel that we deviate a bit in that I'm probably more inclined to dive into more obsure and experimental music and this album definitely leaned towards that.
Shortly after that, I asked him for an album that he thinks more people should listen to and he sent along "Raise Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven" by Godspeed You! Black Emperor and I really enjoyed that, especially some of the random audio samples they used (like a recording of a random TV on a gas pump or an older gentleman talking about Coney Island in its heyday). I also asked for a playlist of 10 songs and that ask is what you see here.
Personally, this playlist is fucking phenomenal. Even though I wasn't familiar with 80% of the tracks, it stirred so much nostalgia for me. When I was in my 20s, one of my roommates was a keyboardist in a Boston band. When your roommate is in a band, you have tendency to not just go and see when their band is playing, you find yourself going to small, intimate venues and seeing random local acts a lot. For me, this playlist captures that intimacy and reminded me of bands that I saw before they got big, like Interpol opening up for The Vines at The Middle East Downstairs and then somehow ending up with Interpol's keyboardist at the time in my car as a group of us drive to The Paradise for an after show party.
This playlist also made me realize that it's a bit of a full circle moment. Back in my late 20s, I'd often make mix CDs for a co-worker turned friend that is about 20 years my senior. I loved making those CDs and really enjoyed hearing his opinion on the songs and having him let me know of other artists he was into. Whenever I listen to Beth Orton, I think of him.
Now I feel like it's my turn to have a younger generation expose me to music I may otherwise not discover on my own and it leaves me feeling fortunate.
Walk in the Park - Beach House
Coastline - Rachel Goswell
blue meringue - Summer 2000
Starting Over - LSD and the Search for God
Birds - Hyakkei
Marjorette - Beach House
Liar's Love - Title Fight
Your World is Eternally Complete - Sweet Trip
Sleeping In - The Radio Dept.
80's Comedown Machine - The Strokes
Episode 60
This is late due to us moving. Slowly but surely, we've been having renovations done and bringing items here and there to the new place. Only lately we've been doing it with more ugency as we want to be fully moved in by the end of the month.
But you're not here for that, you're here for music. I can't remember how it happened, but "Flaming June" by BT was playing on my audio player at work. As it played, I momentarily paused the work I was doing, listened to the song, and I realized there was a certain feeling of optimism coming from it. I then started listening to other trance (and adjacent genres) and that feeling really came through in nearly all the songs. While I won't deny that part of it may be rose-tinted glasses looking through a prism of nostalgia, but I do think there was just a general sense of optimism in the 90s. The internet was new and exciting and hadn't been manhandled by capitalism. The Reagan/Bush years were over and as a NY'er, we were literally seeing the improvement of NYC firsthand as crime went down and things improved.
Right now, there is a lot of disappointment in my world. I'm disappointed by the news, disappointed that I know people who fucking voted for this shit, and disappointed that I feel unable to do more for the people that matter to me during this time, especially as they feel scared and threatened. So maybe I just need a little dose of optimism and hopefully you can appreciate that.
Flaming June - BT
Comin' Back - The Crystal Method
It's a Fine Day - Opus III
First Cool Hive - Moby
Halcyon + On + On - Orbital
Saltwater - Chicane
Born Slippy - Underworld
Children - Robert Miles
Papua New Guinea - The Future Sound of London
Xpander (Edit) - Sasha