I feel that “heartstrings” as a theme is a bit of a cop out when it comes to MC themes, or playlists in general. But here I am, totally wrong. Our MC contributors put together a really spectacular playlist yet again.
The rational behind these songs range from having a personal connection to the contributors, to a song that might stir up some emotion or even give you the chills or goosebumps. That actually has a term, when you have a psycho-physiological response to a song it’s called Frission (French for ‘shiver’). Pretty neat. Here’s a break down our contributor’s picks…
CONTRIBUTOR: Amy
1ST PICK: (New) Angelo De Augustine – “Tomb”
DESCRIPTION: Angelo De Augustine’s Tomb was released 10/16/2018 and was his 2nd album released by Asthmatic Kitty Records. The first time I heard this song I was walking from my bus stop to a nearby pub to meet up with Mark and Tyler. It was Halloween and small groups of families were out and about trick or treating. Needless to say the mix of the music, the briskness of the fall night and my own memories of Halloween sparked a bit of nostalgia. There’s no better way to describe the album as a whole as Angelo addresses regret and lost love but in honest and charming way.
2ND PICK: (New) Girlpool – “When You Sink”
DESCRIPTION: Girlpool released “Where You Sink” as a single for their upcoming album to be released in early 2019. “Where You Sink” first appeared on Tividad’s Oove Is Rare as a quiet acoustic track, but here gets transformed into a heavier version of it’s past self. Girlpool is an indie rock band from LA, already previously releasing 2 full length albums and are known for their song writing intensity.
3RD PICK: (New) Phoebe Bridgers – “Scott Street”
DESCRIPTION: Phoebe Bridgers has been a favorite of MC this past year and I expect we will continue our obsession with her through 2019. Regarding the theme, I will post some her lyrics:
With an open heart, open container
I’ve got a stack of mail and a tall can
It’s a shower beer, it’s a payment plan
There’s helicopters over my head
Every night when I go to bed
Spending money and I earned it
When I’m lonely, that’s when I’ll burn it
When you hear my name?
I heard she got her degree
And I said: That makes me feel old
He said: What does that make me?
I asked you: How is playing drums?
You said: It’s too much shit to carry
And what about the band?
You said: They’re all getting married
When you hear my name?
4TH PICK: (Oct 2017) BADBADNOTGOOD – “I Don’t Know”
DESCRIPTION: I’ll admit it, I’ve already included this song on a previous playlists. It is one of my most played songs this year, and due to it’s lyrics I feel it fits quite nicely on this playlist. Samuel T. Herring (most commonly known from Future Islands) provided the vocals for this track over the instrumentals of BADBADNOTGOOD. BADBADNOTGOOD are known for their interpretations of hip hop tracks and their collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Mick Jenkins, and Ghostface Killah.
5TH PICK: (New) Son Lux – “Yesterday’s Wake”
DESCRIPTION: What happens when a detail oriented composer/classically trained musician starts a band? You get a result similar to that of Son Lux. When the group toured for their 2012 album Lanterns, I had the opportunity to see them live. The performance was insane, never had I seen a group of musicians so dedicated to creating an experience for their audience. “Yesterday’s Wake” appears on a short EP released 9/19/2018, only 7 months after Son Lux released their 6th full length album. (Warning: The video is crazy.)
CONTRIBUTOR: Miles
1ST PICK: Fiona Apple – Shadowboxer (old)
DESCRIPTION: The theme Heartstrings made me think love songs, break-up songs, or just emotional? Fiona Apple’s music has always made me emotional. Her music in her prime was always painful and angsty. She was Grunge in a pop/singer songwriter package. I assume the song is based on love gone wrong, but really the emotional “heartstrings” reason for my pick is the mood of the music and pain/power in her voice.
2ND PICK: John Lennon – Jealous Guy (old)
DESCRIPTION: Another love gone wrong track. You want to blow a relationship? Be jealous and watch it fall apart. This is my favorite Lennon Song. If you feel nothing listening to him croon, you have no heart.
3RD PICK: Kevin Morby Waxahatchee – The Dark Don’t hide it (new)
DESCRIPTION: Perhaps a break-up song, I’m not to sure. The duo singing verse to verse about what sounds like love gone wrong. I struggled a bit with new tracks on this theme, and had to delve into what I’ve been listening to and digging for emotion or meanings behind the tracks. Kevin Morby always seems to have pain behind his tracks, so it was a goto.
4TH PICK: The Tallest Man on Earth – Down in my Heart (new)
DESCRIPTION: His music is always folky with beautiful guitar. Although, I’m not a giant fan overall, certain tracks definitely speak to me. Down in my Heart is one of them. It’s more inspirational than Heartstrings, but I went literal with the title (HA!)
5TH PICK: Ben Sollee – A few honest words
DESCRIPTION: Timely with the midterm elections and Literal with a stringed instrument
CONTRIBUTOR: Mark
1ST PICK: I’m With Her – “Hannah Hunt”
2ND PICK: Emmylou Harris – “Boulder to Birmingham”
3RD PICK: Patty Griffin – “When It Don’t Come Easy”
4TH PICK: Wildcat! Wildcat! – “Marfa”
CONTRIBUTOR: Raul
1ST PICK: Ryan Bingham – “The Poet”
2ND PICK: Kevin Morby – “Farewell Transmission”
3RD PICK: Songs: Ohia – “I Promise Not To Quit”
4TH PICK: The Antlers – “Putting The Dog To Sleep”
CONTRIBUTOR: Allison
1ST PICK: Spencer. – “Want U Back”
2ND PICK: Beirut – “Gallipoli”
3RD PICK: Todd Rundgren – “Hello It’s Me”
4TH PICK: Laura Veirs – “Make Something Good”
CONTRIBUTOR: Tyler
1ST PICK: Cat Power – “Stay”
2ND PICK: Mirah – “Archipelago”
3RD PICK: Mountain Man – “Baby Where Are You”
4TH PICK: Sufjan Stevens – “The Only Thing”
5TH PICK: Sigur Ros – “Heysatan”
CONTRIBUTOR: Emmy
1ST PICK: Love Monster – “Adore”
2ND PICK: Down The Way – “Big Jet Plane”
3RD PICK: Low Blows – “Big Jet Plane”
4TH PICK: Meg Mac – “Low Blows”
5TH PICK: Bombay Bicycle Club – “You Already Know”
Music Club "A Book Club for Music" 