Straight to Hell: The Clash

Does this song sound familiar? If you are a fan of MIA (and who isn’t these days?) then it should–she samples this, my favorite song of all time, on her catchy single Paper Planes. Straight to Hell most deftly and beautifully represents everything that makes the Clash so singular and so influential, mixing Joe Strummer’s rusty voice with clever world music instrumentation, wit, and a political message.

Once Again: Girl Talk

The music of Girl Talk reminds me of cheerleading remixes on crack, and I mean that in the very best way. If you aren’t familiar with Girl Talk, it’s basically a DJ named Greg Gillis who mixes, to unexpected delight, any number of seemingly disparate songs together to create a sort of fun, danceable Frankenstein. My favorite part? Mixing The Whisper Song with the Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony. Brilliant.
Machine Gun: Portishead

After 11 years, Trip Hop pioneers Portishead have finally come out with a new album, Third. Portishead was one of my favorite bands growing up, so I was absolutely delighted when they released a new album after so long and even happier when the album turned out to be really, really good.

For me, the band was most successful when they were at their heaviest and darkest, and Third is full of that density. The first single off of the album is the relentless track Machine Gun, which juxtaposes lead singer Beth Gibbons’ rich lilt with persistent and ominous synthesizers. It’s a mixture of hard and soft sounds that is Portishead’s trademark and its done to beautiful, poignant effect in Machine Gun. Read More »

Music is a powerful thing. This is a fact. Attitude is also a powerful thing. I won’t dare to tread the ‘Marilyn Manson causes teens ridden with angst to hang themselves ‘ waters, but I will go as far as to say that music certainly can alter my attitude — at least my immediate attitude.

Sure, it’s fun to play hateful music when you’re so angry that you want to punch a wall. Or kick a puppy. But when I’m just feeling kind of ‘blah’, there’s a certain playlist that always does the trick with kicking me into good mood gear.

[Note: Works best within thirty minutes of waking]

Positivity Playlist

“Can You Hear The Sun” ACTION REACTION

“Plenty of Paper” EISLEY

“10 A.M. Automatic” THE BLACK KEYS

“Intergalactic” BEASTIE BOYS

“Come Together” THE BEATLES

“Lover’s Spit” BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

“Spitshine” DREDG

“Purple Haze” JIMI HENDRIX

“Supermassive Black Hole” MUSE