James Murphy's Top Picks
James Murphy, frontman of LCD Soundsystem, creator of DFA Records, and renowned DJ, doesn’t hide his influences. The debut and self-titled album, LCD Soundsystem (2005), is packed with references and homages. For Introduction to Musical Style this past semester, I wrote an essay analyzing this album and its musical connections, diving into the specifics of shared riffs and mimicked synths in each track. I was sent on a deep journey to the depth of Murphy’s mind... This playlist is the result of my quest.
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A Jane Austen Novel Told by Taylor Swift
For my film thesis, I’m adapting Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park into a feature-length screenplay, and the proper soundtrack is imperative. Classical music would suffice; Gregory Alan Isakov gets closer; but Taylor Swift perfectly captures the highs and lows, expectations and surprises, of a Jane Austen novel. She literally has a song for every imaginable romantic situation. Her discography could be mined for years and we still wouldn’t know all there is to know. It is a bottomless depth.
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My Favorite Artists With Under 50,000 Listeners
In a time where Spotify will often persistently recommend the same five artists, it’s difficult for smaller, lesser known artists to reach their intended audience. It seems that unless you’re the rare artist whose songs are blowing up on TikTok, an overnight boom in fans is unlikely. The algorithm for both Spotify and TikTok has become increasingly dependent upon and more and more selective. As a result, it can be difficult for the average listener to form connections with smaller bands looking for an audience. ..
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Dark Witchy Music
Now that November is upon us, some might say that we have to leave the Halloween spirit in the past. However, those same individuals do not realize that by venturing deeper into the past, we can hold onto the spookiness of October, even in its department. Join me on a moonlit journey where we journey back to the mid-20th century to find unrecognized eerie music of the late 1950s to the early 1970s.
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Help, I’m Growing Up: A Playlist for Life’s Transitions
Do you remember how we used to be little kids? With baby fat protecting the veins on the backs of our hands and the bones beneath our cheeks. When you look in the mirror, do you see your face? Is it the same face you’ve always had? Maybe it’s thinner, stronger, more tired. Maybe you’re happy to be this older version of yourself.
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Right on Time
I was always the last one to finish the mile in middle school. Chubby and morally opposed to forced exercise, I found myself minutes behind my classmates– always sweaty and short of breath by the end of my seven laps, embarrassed that I couldn’t keep up.
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Honey & Lavender
Lately, I’ve been noticing the large amount of songs in my rotation that contain the word “honey”: “Honey Hi,” “Hunnybee,” “Honeybody,” and just plain “Honey.” Instead of just making a playlist with songs about honey, I decided to switch it up a bit, alternating each honey song with a song about, or vaguely relating to, lavender.
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Five hundred and twenty-eight tons
Johnny Cash. Stevie Wonder. Tom Jones. ZZ Top. Jimmy Dean of microwave breakfast stardom. What do these artists have in common? They’ve all covered the song “Sixteen Tons,” originally written by the American folk artist Merle Travis in 1947.
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Up & At ‘Em! (or, Thoughts on Morning Music from a Non-Morning Person)
As a bit of a running joke, my dad famously woke up to the song “Need A Little Sunshine” by Augustana every morning for several years. It’s a perfect song for easing into the day; it doesn’t jolt you awake, but it has just the right amount of energy to motivate you to get up, get dressed, and get out of the house…
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