okay, it’s official, i have found my favourite website in the world. Simon Foster is a designer and former DJ who has rolled his love of design and music into the magically epic Decorated Playlists. i have already made my way through Run For Cover Part One and Part Two featuring cover songs 99% of which i didn’t even know existed. not only is the music selection superb (and highly educational) – the site is an absolute dream to use.
i have to thank everyone for all your wonderful emails, comments and tweets in the past month regarding the music mixes. i didn’t realise how much they meant to so many of you (a fact that makes my heart explode in double rainbows) and i’m really happy to know that the playlists encouraged you to go out and buy albums, see concerts and support the artists who you came to love just from hearing a couple of their songs.
so – here it is. a new music mix that’s been one month in the making. thanks for waiting! there are some treats in here for you, including new songs from beirut, best coast, dent may, clap your hands say yeah and the middle east, as well as my favourite track from the new bon iver album. caveman is also an exciting new band who i’m keen to hear more from.
i hope this sets off your weekend on a good note. have a great one.
Wild Horses. playlist:
all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!
i admittedly don’t know anything about kiki dee apart from the fact that she makes up the other half in elton john’s fabulous don’t go breaking my heart. yep, fabulous. i’m unsure how to explain why this was happening in the first place… but today i was going down a weird rabbit hole of elton john image search results in google (some of which are horrifying by the way) and happened upon these press photos of miss dee looking like a fox.
in lieu of the fact that the music mixes are currently on hiatus i thought it would be a good idea to share some tunes with you that have been making my happy lately. nothing new here though, folks. i’ve only been entertaining the oldies.
PS: i can’t believe i haven’t included a Queen track in any of the mixes yet. i loved Queen so much growing up that my best friend and i staged a musical performing our favourite songs to our parents… i think they loved it (or they were just being really polite). you’re my best friend is a particular favourite because i always used to sing along to it in my mom’s car (it was the only cassette tape she had in there) and whenever it comes on now i feel like a 10 year old again.
elton john is another one of those dudes whose music makes me so happy, even though so many of his songs are rather bittersweet. the fact that i can sing along to them at the top of my voice probably does it for me.
(love how he dances at 1:10)
i included a track by leann grimes in the through the jungle mix, but i want to urge you guys to go to his site and get the entire album (it’s free). leanne grimes is shane conerty, a 24 year old dude from north carolina -
this album was inspired by music blogs. and it was made to show my appreciation for them. each track on the record features a sample of an indie band i have found specifically on a music blog in the recent past. the tracks are humble arrangements of bands that i really enjoy and it’s my hope that people that enjoy this album will seek out the bands i’ve sampled and support them as well.
that’s really all you need to know! oh and that i have it on repeat. here’s his take on mrs cold by kings of convenience:
i put together this playlist of paul simon / simon & garfunkel cover songs last week and have been wanting to share it… been toying around with the idea of sharing the mixes via a streaming site, and 8tracks seemed like a pretty good bet (thanks to kate for turning me onto them.) i know streaming can be a pain for my fellow south africans, but maybe give it a couple of listens if you’re using office bandwidth (muwahaaaa.) to everyone else with first world internet – enjoy.
edit: i’ve uploaded the playlist for you to download – get it here. playlist:
all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!
mid-month music mix is here. there’s no rhyme or reason to this one, just a bunch of tunes i have been enjoying & playing to death lately. i decided not to over think it this time round. truth.
It was a good day. playlist:
all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!
you probably know donald glover as the ever amusing troy barnes on community… which is where i admittedly got to know about him too. what i didn’t know was that he is a multi-talented individual who also does stand up comedy, makes music under the name childish gambino and writes comedy (he used to be a writer for 30 rock.) i first realised these things when i discovered a remix he did of sufjan steven’s illinoise album under one of his musical monikers, mc DJ – which he called illin-noise (!) – if that doesn’t make you fall head over heels for this guy perhaps these photos will.
taken by ariel rosenbloom for the spring issue of bullett magazine.
all photographs by ariel rosenbloom
Josh T. Pearson promised himself he wouldn’t shave until he put out a second record. Now he hasn’t seen his face in “over ten fucking years” and doesn’t know what he’ll do with the length of ashen fodder he’s grown when his new album Last of the Country Gentlemen is released this spring.
from this article about josh t. pearson
sweetheart i ain’t your christ (piano version with dustin o’halloran) by josh t. pearson
thanks to lance for reminding me of this brilliant video. i was just reliving this song the other day, particularly these lyrics:
Even if I could hear what you said
I doubt my reply would be interesting for you to hear
Because I haven’t read a single book all year
And the only film I saw, I didn’t like it at all
i’m sure those of you who are socially awkward can relate! if i go to a party these days i’ll get a few drinks in me and hit the dance floor as soon as possible. it breaks down so many barriers, eh? plus it’s fun.
happy friday all – hope you get some dancing in.
