November 2010
14 posts
Playlist of the week-FAM TIME
So as well all know, Thanksgiving (my absolute favorite holiday of all-time) is this Thursday. I have always absolutely adored this holiday; the food, the family, the cranberry sauce. Anyway, I’ve compiled a playlist this week inspired specifically by my family. Its a bit of a hodgepodge of genres and styles, but hey, sometimes families can be a bit like that and I wouldn’t have mine any other way…
1. Casta Diva from Bellini’s “Norma” performed by the incredible Maria Callas This is one of the most beautiful arias in all of opera, and performed by arguably the most incredible opera singer of our time. My mother loves opera, and my whole family adores a compilation of Callas’ singing entitled “LA DIVINA”. If you’re not moved to tears by this, you may not have a soul. I’ve grown up listening to this and will always continue to.
2. Tales that I Tell—He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister How could I create a playlist of family music and not include a track from my brothers wonderful band? My brother plays the cello in this awesome and up and coming band based in Los Angeles. I’ve put their song “How’m I Gonna Get Back Home” on another playlist, but this is another favorite. Enjoy and check them out!
3. Fly me to the Moon—Frank Sinatra My dad loves Frank Sinatra, and this song is a favorite of all of ours. It is romantic and lighthearted and is everything I love about ol’ Blue Eyes (minus that shenanigans with Sinead O’Connor—that got weird..)
4. In a Sentimental Mood—Django Reinhardt The apple of all of our eyes, the most handsome, adorable and sweet Welsh Springer Spaniel was named after this famous guitarist, and our lives would be utterly gloomy sans our lovely Django. This is also a wonderful song.
5. If I Fell—The Beatles The Beatles are a favorite in my family, especially among me, my mother and my brother Satya. This song is beautiful and we all especially love it…especially when the drums come in in the beginning!
6. Beautiful Maria of my Soul—Los Lobos My father is an incredible cook, and when he cooks he likes to listen to tango music. So, although this isn’t officially a Tango, its not unsimilar to the stuff he usually listens to…
7. Bad—Michael Jackson Before I was born, my brother apparently became obsessed with this song (at the age of 3) and would sing it constantly and learned the entire dance. So, this had to be on the list. It’s also a great tune.
8. Allegro Moderato from Octet in E Major Op2—Felix Mendelssohn My mother and eldest brother Ishan are both obsessed with classical music (we each played instruments from the age of 3) and this is a piece we all love. Makes me emotional!
9. Imagine—John Lennon My father once told me that in college he listened to the EP of Imagine every single day for a period of months. And, come on, this is an absolute classic.
10. Back to Black—Amy Winehouse I know I constantly rave about Amy Winehouse, but she’s incredible! My parents are now obsessed with her also, so this song had to be on the list
Enjoy, happy listening and HAPPY EATING and expect LOTS of Thanksgiving food pics!
Leah
Playlist of the Week-Cold, Rainy and EMOtional
Since my last playlist was somewhat lackluster given that Halloween didn’t allow me to fully embrace my creative potential, I’ve decided to include some extra and AWESOME tracks this week inspired by the dreary onslaught of fall—replete with cold gusts of wind and very early sunsets. After compiling this list I realized I listened to many of these during my semester abroad in Paris and I’m not sure what the connection is, but just imagine you’re sitting on the metro surrounded by skinny and attractive people embracing eachother forcefully. Just kidding…Sort of. Here goes…
1. Dogs Got a Bone—The Beta Band
This song is awesome, I love the Beta Band. It just makes you want to sit in a room snugged in a blanket and whine about your life…nothin like it
Who doesn’t love this song? That’s right, everyone loves this song. And even if you don’t it’ll surely bring you back to the magical mid 1990s!
Mmmm this song is so EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING waaaaaaaaa. No but really, it’s so good and the drums + sound effects + voice=awesome. This was prime Metro music, by the way.
Well here’s a real uplifting tune! Ha….NOT. Although this heroin infused tune is pretty intense and EMOtional, I really like it, especially to channel my own bourgeois bitterness about something pointless…
I don’t know what the youtube graphic is thinking, but this song isn’t necessarily a beach jam for me. But I guess it’s kind of inspiring and, dare I say it, positive. For that moment when the rain stops for a second!
If you don’t know this song (or Roots Manuva), THAT’S AN ISSUE. This has been a favorite song (and artist) of mine for almost a decade, and one of my favorite lyrics “I got the sudden urge urge to misbehave/I want to take you away from all the stresses/buy you nice flowers and expensive dresses/you don’t believe me/you think I’m cheesy”. So…yeah this song is really amazing.
Another favorite; breathy, desperate and with an awesome background beat.
8. As I Lay Me Down—Sophie B. Hawkins
I don’t know what it is about this song, but it’s just so simple and satisfying…
Yes, I know it’s from Garden State (the mothership of Emo movies) and no, I don’t care. I love this song. And let’s be real, I really liked the movie.
To be honest, this song is really important to me. I don’t exactly know why, I just really love it and his flow and, oh, all of it. (And the mention of Apple Bottom Jeans!) My friend during my semester abroad in Paris introduced me to this tune and I haven’t stopped listening since, and that was almost 2 years ago!
11. The Only Living Boy in New York—Simon and Garfunkel
This song = Blanket, Fireplace + Glass of Wine. It’s quiet in a really lovely way.
I’ve put a lot of my absolute favorite songs on this playlist, and this song is no exception. I couldn’t love it more. Elliott Smith’s music really expresses melancholy in such a beautiful and raw way..
13. Love Aint (Sloppy Seconds Remix)—Cunninlynguists
This song brings me back to my first year at Cornell, walking to and from North Campus to class wit my ipod. Wow, I may be getting emotional! Anyway, Cunninlynguists are one of my complete absolute favorite hip hop groups and I even got on stage with them once at a concert! (I proceeded to freak them out by requesting they play random interludes from the CD….) Anyway, the words in this song are beautiful and so intelligent and interesting and profound, “love ain’t for the faint of heart start trainin this game is hard and arduous”
This song is magical. I don’t know what he’s saying, but I really like it and the softness in his voice is so comforting. SEU COME SNUGGLE ME! Just kidding.
15. Wake Up Alone—Amy WInehouse
Yet another gorgeous song. I love the first few bars and the jazzy feel, especially with her strong authoritative voice. But the words are lovely in a tortured way, as with many Amy Winehouse songs.
This may be my favorite playlist yet. Each and every one of these songs is beautiful and emotional and raw and gorgeous, and deeply personal for me. So enjoy them, they’ll make any rainy day more satisfying.
Best,
Leah
"I don't know about you honey, but I do most of this stuff lying down, darling." →
npr.org
This week I started reading Kieth Richards’ new biography, Life. Upon first hearing that Richards was releasing a book, I, like most, first responded with, ‘how can he possibly remember anything that happened?’ But in fact, after beginning the book, it seems that Richards remembers everything and in fact spares no detail. Here you can listen to an interview with Richards from Fresh Air on NPR. I love hearing this music icon recounting tales of sleep writing Satisfaction, finding his sound, and dealing with Beatle-mania.
So far, I recommend.
Best, Lauren
