Tag Archives: Music

Mixtape Monday: CD

Mixtapes May 14, 2012 1 Comment

A couple of months back H asked if he could download a few songs to my iTunes account. Never one to turn down new music, I agreed. But when he started to give me song names and artists he wanted me to download I became quite puzzled.  Who were some of these artists and what were these songs? “Oh, so this is what dance music is,” I thought to myself.

Then came H’s next question: could we burn the songs to a cd? I was instantly transported back to 1998. Of course I was happy to make a cd of his new playlist for him, so I told him he just needed to give it a title. He responded with something to the effect of “well, why not just CD?”

So it was settled, H got his cd, CD, and I was left skeptical about these new songs freshly downloaded onto my computer. Turns out, H knows what he’s talking about when it comes to music (I’ve since learned in a few short months he almost always knows what he’s talking about with everything).  As you can imagine, since then the number of dance songs we’ve downloaded have tripled. I find myself running, cleaning and everything else all while enjoying these new playlists. Let’s just keep that our little secret, though. H doesn’t need to know he’s always right.

CD

Feel So Close (Radio Edit) – Calvin Harris
Levels – Avicii
Beautiful People (fest. Benny Benassi) – Chris Brown
Finger Food – Benny Benassi
Champagne Showers (feat. Natalia Kills) – LMFAO
Take Over Control (Radio Edit) [feat.Eva Simons] – Afrojack
Right Above It – Lil Wayne & Drake
Ghosts N Stuff – deadmau5
Mr. Saxobeat – Alexandra Stan
Dirty Talk – Wynter Gordon
My Feelings for You (Original Mix) – Avicii & Sebastien Drums
Shocking Silence (feat. Dino) – Benny Benassi
Love Is Gonna Save Us – Benny Benassi Presents The Biz
I Love My Sex (Pump-kin Remix) – Benny Benassi

To download the playlist in iTunes click here

Mixtape Monday: Queen of Hearts

Mixtapes February 13, 2012 Leave a comment

Ahhh Valentines day. The holiday people love to hate and hate to love. Secretly, I love it. The search for cards I know my friends and family would appreciate is a fun challenge. Creating little tokens of affection that will make people smile is nice, too. To me, Valentines Day isn’t just about two people in a relationship showing their love for each other, rather a day for all of us to give each other an extra special piece of love. So here’s my Valentine to you. Fourteen songs that make my heart smile without being too mushy. Now mushy is something I don’t do. Enjoy.

Queen of Hearts

You Are the Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne
You and Me – Penny & the Quarters
Rivers and Roads – The Head and the Heart
Radio – Lana Del Rey
Powerful Stuff – Sean Hayes
Paperweight – Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk
Just Can’t Get Enough – The Black Eyed Peas
In The Privacy Of Our Love – Hot Chip
I Love You But I Don’t Know What to Say – Ryan Adams
I Know Places – Lykke Li
Hard to Concentrate – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Everlasting Light – The Black Keys
Crash Into Me (Live from Soundstage) – Stevie Nicks
Birthday – Kings Of Leon

To download this playlist in iTunes, click here.
Image via.

Mixtape Monday: Christmas Albums Galore

Mixtapes December 12, 2011 Comments: 2

When it comes to Christmas music I find it’s not so much certain songs that are great, rather the people who sing the songs that make them special. Let’s be honest, it’s pretty much all the same songs performed different ways. While I certainly have all the classics in rotation, there are six holiday albums I just can’t imagine the season without (and would love to collect on vinyl).

    

    

From the top left:
This Warm December a Brushfire Holiday, vol. 2
Music from the OC: Mix 3 – Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah
The Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Jimmy Buffett Christmas Island
A Very She & Him Christmas

What are you favorite holiday songs?

Mixtape Monday: Video Games

Mixtapes November 14, 2011 Leave a comment

I’ve been working on a few mixtapes the last couple of weeks, drawing inspiration from daily joys and sorrows from the past month or so. To me, it’s funny how a song can intensify emotions and take them to a place you never knew existed. The phrase “strike a chord” refers to when you identify something to a familiar emotion or experience. But think of “strike a chord” in the literal sense. When I hear certain chords of music I’m instantly transported to a previous emotion or experience.

Over the past few weeks there are few songs I find can fit the moods I’ve been in and emotions I’ve been trying to sort through. And then, magically, I came across the video for Video Games by Lana Del Rey and it was like it was just waiting for me to discover it. I finally felt musically and visually connected to exactly how I’ve been feeling.

image via

The random images of Southern California in the video take me to a nostalgic place tucked away with my some of my favorite memories growing up, which is also a sort of feeling that can only be replicated when I wake up on a crisp morning in Seal Beach. The Chateau Marmont sign flashes and I’m instantly transformed back in time to my first trip to Fred Segal and fond memories of brunch at the legendary hotel in my early twenties. It is as though memories throughout my life are visually paired with the deep-rooted song that makes my heart a little stronger each time I hear it.

To download Video Games on iTunes click Here.

Mixtape Monday: Falling Back

Mixtapes November 7, 2011 Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again when you wake up at 8:30am refreshed because your body thinks its 9:30am. The notion is we have to fall back to spring forward. What better time to slow things down and enjoy the day-to-day pleasure then during the typically busy holiday season? And who says we have to wait for New Years to make new resolutions?

After a whirlwind few weeks I have the next two days off to reflect, write and decide which behaviors of mine I resolve to change or improve. On my list so far is to clean my room, pay the post office a much overdue visit, complete all the errands I’ve been putting off and make time to run the next five of seven days. And finally see the latest two Ryan Gosling movies. With trying to slow the pace of life down, the music I have in rotation has to slow right along, too.

[Painting by Joshua Jensen-Nagle]

Falling Back

If I Ever Feel Better – Phoenix
Satellite Heart – Anya Marina
Lonely Boy – The Black Keys
All This and Heaven Too – Florence + The Machine
Golden – My Morning Jacket
Lonely Lonely – Feist
Dirty Rain – Ryan Adams
Tangerine – Led Zeppelin
Hurts Like Heaven – Coldplay
Feel It In My Bones – Tiesto
Pursuit of Happiness – Kid Cudi
Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel

To download this playlist on iTunes click Here

Lonely Boy

Mixtapes November 2, 2011 Leave a comment

Don’t get too excited, this post is not about meeting a boy, breaking up with a boy or any of that nonsense. Now that that’s out-of-the-way, get super stoked because this week The Black Keys new album, El Camino, is finally up for pre-order on iTunes which can only mean one thing: the first single from the album, ‘Lonely Boy’, can be downloaded now.

[Image via]

Let’s get through a few other items of business, shall we? For starters, I’m not the #1 Black Keys fan nor do I profess to be. I haven’t listened to them since the beginning of time, but I do appreciate love their last two albums. Let’s be honest, they are from Ohio, obviously I wasn’t interested at first. That being said, the Black Keys are the best thing to come out of Ohio since…well they are the only good thing I can think of that has come out of Ohio.

Secondly, you have to go download this song right now. Since starting this post I’ve listened to it three times. That’s like three times in nine minutes. Crazy. I’m telling you, don’t even bother previewing the song and thinking you can walk away, no sir. This song is like crack (or what I would imagine crack would be like), you will literally have withdrawals from it being stuck in your head and you’ll probably start scratching yourself.

Finally, I don’t know about you, but the mere phrase “Lonely Boy” reminds of Dan Humphrey of Gossip Girl – aka Penn Badgley – aka one of the few exceptions to my “hot guys don’t have brown eyes” rule. I don’t see the need to continue on, I find in this case a pictures worth a thousand words:

Great, now I’m going to spend all day dreaming mindlessly of Dan Humphrey/Penn Badgley, replaying ‘Lonely Boy’ in my head over and over and most likely scratching my arms.

For more information on Black Keys, El Camino or Lonely Boy click Here.

Mixtape Monday: SpringTwentyTwelve

Mixtapes, Style September 19, 2011 Leave a comment

I know, I know, summer is barely past us and the excitement of sweaters and scarves is in the crisp autumn air. How could I possibly be thinking about next spring? New York Fashion Week, that’s how. I could (ahem –do) spend hours upon hours streaming shows, studying images and reading about all things Fashion Week.

My favorite thing, besides the beautiful clothes obviously, is the music that accompanies the shows. The music sets the mood for the collection and brings the clothes to life. In my opinion, there isn’t nearly enough emphasis on the music of fashion week, but I always manage to create a mixtape with the little information out there. Vanity Fair does a great job at keeping a rolling playlist during fashion week and non other than our favorite gals from WhoWhatWear always tweet great songs as they attend shows.

We might have to endure the freezing cold to get to next spring, but at least we have good beats to listen to in the meantime.

Spring/Summer TwentyTwelve
Sinister Kid – The Black Keys (Billy Reid)
Moth’s Wings – Passion Pit (Chris Benz)
I Can Change – LCD Soundsystem (Altuzarra)
She’s A Rainbow – The Rolling Stones (Timo Weiland)
Coquet Coquette – of Montreal (Milly)
Hand Me Down Your Love – Hot Chip (Michael Angel)
Je t’aime – Staff Benda Bilili (Lorick)
C’mere – Interpol (Jason Wu)
Will You Return – The Avett Brothers (Billy Reid)
I Need to Know – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Billy Reid)
Sister – Vetiver (Billy Reid)
Stairway To Heaved – Led Zeppelin (Oscar de la Renta)
Everyday Is Like Sunday – Morrissey (Rodarte)
Fade Into You – Mazzy Star (Rodarte)

To download this playlist from iTunes click here
image via

Mixtape Monday: Au Revoir, Entourage

Mixtapes September 12, 2011 Leave a comment

Sadly, Entourage is over. Like most loses, I turn to music to get me through these tough times. The good news is, through the years Entourage has provided me with fantastic music episode after episode. More specifically, the songs at the end credits would leave me mind blown and waiting for the next Sunday. They were always so perfectly fitting and the final episode was no exception. I was on cloud nine when one of my favorite songs in the entire world ended the series. So while I may only have the dvd sets left to relive the glory days of one of the best shows in the history of television, at least there is also the season eight credit songs to enjoy in one sweet little mixtape.

Au Revoir, Entourage
Till I Collapse – Eminem
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore – Rose Royce
The Wilhelm Scream – James Blake
Don’t Let It Go To Your Head – Brand Nubian
The Spider And The Fly – The Rolling Stones
Mammalian Locomotion – Abbe May
Running Away – Richard Ashcroft
Going To California – Led Zeppelin

To download the mixtape on iTunes click here.
(Download track 4 for free here!)
image via

Mixtape Monday: Welcome to Ohio

Mixtapes August 22, 2011 Leave a comment

For those who know me, I mean like really know me, it has come as a shock that I moved to Ohio. Yes, the same Ohio I openly refer to as the worst state in America. While I’m not ready to throw in the towel and admit I like it here, I will say that I’ve received a warm welcome. That and I think it speaks volumes that I didn’t title this post “Welcome to the Gates of Hell.”

Upon mere minutes of being in the state one of my brothers besties met us at my new apartment for a night of revelry and the very next day one of my favorite Pittsburgh gals came for a visit by way of Columbus with a fabulous welcome balloon and bottle of J.Rodge in tow.

When all the novelty wears off, it’s just me and a new city. The only thing that is reliable good company is my iTunes library. These are the songs I’ve found most comforting so far.

Welcome to Ohio

Confetti – 1,2,3
Take Off Your Shirt – Bibio
Young Dumb and In Love – Mat Kearney
Why I Love You – Kanye West & Jay-Z
Before – Washed Out
More Adventurous – Rilo Kiley
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
You Got it – Roy Orbison
Oxford Comma – Vampire Weekend
Summer Girl – Leighton Meester
The Adventure of Rain Dance Maggie – Red Hot Chili Peppers

To download playlist from iTunes click here.

Mixtape Monday: Vogue’s Lollapalooza

Mixtapes, Style August 15, 2011 Leave a comment

Don’t worry, I haven’t lost my mind. Well at least not yet anyway. I realize Lollapalooza was over a week ago, but I can’t stop listening to Vogue’s little compilation they put together for the occasion. Plus I hold a special place in my heart for Lolla.

Ages ago, when I still lived in the greatest city ever (Chicago for those of you who still might be clueless to this), I found the gem of Lollapalooza: the Green at Grant Park. I can’t nail down exactly when I stumbled upon the Green, suffice to say once I did I was obsessed. Not only is this a hardcore, eighteen hole mini golf course, splitting the nine holes is a little cafe that serves – get this – spiked lemonade. Any chance I would get I was dragging my friends down to the Green to enjoy a round of golf and a pitcher (or a few) of spiked lemonade.

Imagine how ecstatic I was when I realized the Green was right behind one of the main stages for Lolla. Almost as ecstatic as when the most gorgeous guy attending Lollapalooza walked into the Green on Sunday afternoon during the festival. Of course I coiled into my shy place and google-eyed from afar. And then my friend invited him to join our table. And then we hung out all night, starting a chain of events that included a possible Wendy Ho spotting and me missing my train home. Mr. Lolla and I hung out through Labor day and he was the best end of summer boy to date.

While I know I will probably never have a Lolla experience that comes close to being as awesome as that, it’s fun to sit around and listen to mixtapes like Vogue’s and reminisce.

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