Friday, September 9, 2011

THE OTHER SIDE OF ALOTT5MA SUMMER PLAYLIST:  This may or may not be the last Playlist for awhile -- we may bring Grammar Rodeo back into the rotation -- but for now, why not tell us about a song you first fell for during the summer of 2011.

39 comments:

  1. Devin McCullen10:17 AM

    I've been listening to Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, a lot recently, and while there's a few songs that I'm really into, I'd put "John Saw That Number" at the top of the list.

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  2. Benner10:29 AM

    I've been listening to a fair amount of alt-country and blues on pandora, and one song that i've really enjoyed, though i've heard it before without really appreciating it, is "Hands on the Wheel" by Willie Nelson.  On piano, I've given another go at "Pavane for a defunct infant" (my translation) by Ravel.  

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  3. Jordan10:37 AM

    "Baby Missiles" by The War on Drugs.  I don't know if it's gotten any play outside of Philadelphia, but it's fantastic.  And at least earlier in the summer, it was free on Amazon's mp3 store, so it's worth your investment.

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  4. Stevie10:39 AM

    I've long loved the album "She's So Unusual" by Cyndi Lauper, but I developed a new appreciation for "All Through the Night" this summer.

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  5. Tosy and Cosh10:58 AM

    "Windows Are Rolled Down," by Amos Lee. Was one of those free Starbucks singles, and I eventually got the album. Great summer song too.

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  6. I'm sure you'll all mock me but I've been obsessed with LMFAO.  Questionable lyrics, but just fun, fun songs.  Also, it's clear that the two guys (who are the son and grandson of Berry Gordy, by the way) have a terrific sense of humor, which is very evident in their videos. 

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  7. I discovered the song "Big Brown Eyes" during an Old 97's concert this summer and have been playing it a bunch of times ever since. As far as more recent songs, "Firework" by Katy Perry and "Raise Your Glass" by Pink have been recent additions to my workout mix. While both songs had their chart runs before the summer, they still have the feel of summer songs to me. And Amy Winehouse's death caused me to revisit "Valerie."

    Although I imagine it takes some time and creativity to come up with topics, I'd really love it if you'd continue these playlists. It's something I've looked forward to as I wake up each Friday, and I've also enjoyed Watts' YouTube playlists (which I imagine must be awfully time-consuming to put together). Just last night, I was on YouTube playing choice cuts from the remakes playlist while I had the volume down on the Packers-Saints and Braves games.

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  8. I feel I have to abstain from just one song because here's the thing: Whatever obsessive part of my personality led me to compile playlists (First YouTube and then also Spotify) based on these posts has exposed me to SO MUCH new and old music, some I was hearing for the first time, some I was appreciating for the first time.  Thing Throwers have such a diverse taste in music; I've listened to popular modern country to classical to jazz and show tunes and everything in between. And more Springsteen than I'd ever dared before.  (And you may be on the road to converting me on The Boss but I remain steadfastly resistant to Bob Dylan.)

    So THANK YOU, to Dan Suitor for being one of the ones to suggest his and to Matt and Adam and the other admins for continuing it.  I've really enjoyed DJ ALOTT5MA.

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  9. I discovered Kyuss this summer.  It's (one of) Josh Homme's pre-Queens of The Stone Age projects.  Fucking awesome.

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  10. Maggie11:48 AM

    Barton Hallow by The Civil Wars.

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  11. bristlesage11:55 AM

    This was the summer of Supertramp for me, in that I discovered that I really like Supertramp. It's good because my husband is a prog rock guy, but I usually dislike anything with even elements of prog, so it's a good compromise band. 

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  12. Massive thanks to YOU, Watts, for putting these into accessible playlists and saving the rest of us the work. I've been listening to the Thing Throwers music pretty much nonstop this summer...

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  13. I watched 24 Hour Party People 1.5 times over a weekend early this summer and proceeded to have a rekindled flirtation with Joy Division.  "Digital" became my unlikely song of summer, as well as one of my favorite songs for interval running.

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  14. I've recently become obsessed with Vitamin String Quartet, because our pop music critic put their version of "Rollin' in the Deep" on a Spotify* playlist he created for an event, and it's just lovely. They do string quartet covers of tons of pop music & while the Adele is probably my favorite and most played, there's a lot of good stuff on there.

    *Spotify users, I've got a whole playlist of only VSQ stuff on my account if you're curious, and you can also subscribe to all the playlists our music critic made for us via my playlist subscriptions - they all start with LAT and I think would be enjoyed by many of you.

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  15. bristlesage12:24 PM

    Oh, and one song for the playlist, I'm going with "The Logical Song".

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  16. Anonymous12:34 PM

    Thirded!  Watts is AWESOME for putting the playlists together.

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  17. Anonymous12:35 PM

    Ah!  Shades of my youth!  Immediate flash to the song playing in my pre-sixth grade room on WPGC . . .

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  18. I love that movie. After seeing it I started making a point of checking out Michael Winterbottom films.  He's got such a wide-ranging resume.  Some of it I get really enthusiastic about, some of it I actively dislike, but I'm rarely bored. I'd recommend Tristram Shandy, if you haven't already seen it.

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  19. There's a lot of artists not on Spotify whose music is solely represented by either VSQ or karaoke versions.

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  20. Thanks! I'll definitely check it out.  Have you seen The Trip yet?

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  21. The Other Kate2:19 PM

    I missed The Decemberists' latest when it came out early this year but caught up (as I usually do) via NPR Music -- specifically one of the Tiny Desk Concerts. The whole thing is very REM in a way that sets my Lifes Rich Pageant-loving heart a flutter. The song I fell for most was the album's opener, "Don't Carry It All,"  but I'd trade it in for the moment in the song "June Hymn" where they stretch out the word "write" over five or six seconds and deliver it in the most gorgeous harmony. It's at roughly the "2:00 remaining" portion of the Tiny Desk clip and not impressive there, but in the recording? Swoon.

    And in the linking just now, I saw another Tiny Desk from King Creosote and Jon Hopkins. Their Diamond Mine is another record I loved very much this summer.

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  22. Watts2:24 PM

    No, and it just left our town last night - will have to catch it on DVD. I'm looking forward to it, though - Coogan and Brydon together is a selling point.t

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  23. Maggie2:58 PM

    Strong recommend from me on The Trip.

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  24. I think this was more spring than summer, but MGMT's "Electric Feel" is definitely on my list.  Also, in the wake of Isaac's recent posts, I've been listening a lot to Blitzen Trapper's "God & Suicide." 

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  25. lisased3:36 PM

    I must have missed the lists. Where can I find them?

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  26. isaac_spaceman3:48 PM

    I think the first time I remember hearing them was after their Metallica album.  Was that them on the LaBute soundtrack?  Anyway, I listened again a couple of weeks ago and thought it was thinner than I remembered. 

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  27. isaac_spaceman3:50 PM

    I bought this when it came out and liked it okay, but I definitely got more into it this summer when my eight-year-old son really got into it.  For a few weeks there, he would wake up, rub his eyes, and go "down by the water, down by the old mmmm hmmm," because he didn't know the words.

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  28. Professor Jeff4:01 PM

    Several songs on the new Fountains of Wayne album have become late-summer favorites, but the one that I can't stop listening to is "A Dip in the Ocean."

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  29. Meghan4:47 PM

    I've been enjoying "Options" by Gomez quite a bit.

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  30. Randy5:13 PM

    Since having the privilege of seeing Hugh Jackman in concert in Toronto, the cast recording of "The Boy From Oz" has been in high rotation on my iPod.  He is SUCH a compelling performer on stage - and a lot of that actually translate to the recordings of the songs.  (The disparity between Hugh on stage and most of his movie performances is a topic for another day.)

    There are a lot of highlights in the show, but Once Before I Go might be the peak.

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  31. Big Joe5:46 PM

    Grace Potter was my big discovery this summer, but to pick one song, I'll go with Medicine.

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  32. Adam C.6:27 PM

    Fourthed!  I've been subscribing to Watts's playlists on Spotify and likewise have been exposed to so much good music that I never had on my radar before.  So thanks to Watts and thanks to all who have made suggestions lo these many summer Fridays.

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  33. Watts7:04 PM

    lisa:
    On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amymwatts#g/p
    On Spotify: wattsay

    I compile the lists in Google Docs before making playlists and annotate as to which suggested trackers weren't available in Spotify and/or YouTube.  I haven't published those because I'm thinking I'm the only one who's nerdy enough to want to see that level of detail.  If I'm wrong, let me know.

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  34. Jessica7:09 PM

    Spaghetti Cat (cat-cat-cat-cat-cat).
    Spaghetti Cat (cat-cat-cat-cat-cat).
    Spaghetti Cat (cat-cat-cat-cat-cat)!
    Spaghetti Cat (cat-cat-cat-cat-cat)!
    I weep for youuu
    It's all I can dooo
    To keep from fallin apaaaart
    'Cuz you're breakin my haaart

    http://www.youtube.com/v/bXHqoPHZCUM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140

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  35. The song that I keep coming back to this summer is Aloe Blacc's "I Need a Dollar" - really fun, makes me dance every time it comes on in my car. I don't love all his stuff, but this song is a perfect little soul gem. 

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  36. Really amazing.  Thank you thank you thank you.

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  37. Really amazing.  Thank you thank you thank you.

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  38. Oh wow, that is awesome. Thank you for this!

    And my current obsession is Avett Brothers, Brooklyn. And also Bey's love on top. Key change!

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  39. KCosmo8:47 PM

    No contest for me:  Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae.  Listening to 5 year old Cosmo boy sing about how his tattoo looks like Zach Galifianakis has been pure gold.

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