nina simone

Playlist #151: Women’s History Month

/ xeyeti / Leave a comment

Happy Monday, folks! A slightly chilly Monday as winter tries its damnedest to cling to life in its final week. Here are ten songs, all by some of my favorite female artists, in celebration of Women’s History Month.

  1. Waxahatchee, “War”: This song was stuck in my head for a good part of the weekend. Which would’ve been fine if I could’ve remembered the name of the song and who it was by, but I couldn’t. Then I remembered. ADHD is a bitch sometimes.
  2. Hurray for the Riff Raff, “Snake Planet (The Past Is Still Alive)”: So I’m, like, 90% sure Alynda Segarra is non-binary, but I’m still gonna count them for this list? They’ve got a good voice and are doing interesting things with Americana, so I dig ’em.
  3. Aimee Mann, “Stranger Into Starman”: Every time I try to come up with an Aimee Mann song to put on a playlist, this is always the first song that pops into my head. Is it her best song? No. Is it the most memorable? Probably not. Is it one that I absolutely love and will listen to over and over because I love it and I love her voice? Oh my, yes.
  4. Alabama Shakes, “Gimme All Your Love”: Damn, this woman’s voice. She could sing the phonebook and I’d be enthralled.
  5. Alison Krauss & Union Station, “Doesn’t Have To Be This Way”: I didn’t sleep well last night, and there’s the chance that listening to this song will put me back to sleep. But that’s okay, because it’s such a beautiful song to drift off to.
  6. Amanda Palmer & Friends, “Beds Are Burning”: Who doesn’t love an Australian cover? New Zealanders, that’s who.
  7. Aretha Franklin, “Respect”: When you mention the Queen’s name, you’d best put some respect on it.
  8. Dolly Parton, “Seven Bridges Road”: A perfect match of a voice and a song.
  9. Elastica, “Stutter”: Who doesn’t love surreptitious songs about erectile dysfunction?
  10. Nina Simone, “Feeling Good”: But damn, this woman had a voice that could make a dead man walk.

Playlist #123

/ xeyeti / Leave a comment

Happy Tuesday! We spent Labor Day going through our Dining Room in preparation for moving next month. It was a bear. Here’s some songs!

  1. Smash Mouth, “Walkin’ On The Sun”: The lead singer for this band died over the weekend. I think we can all agree that this one and “All Star” are both fun. I prefer this one of the two.
  2. Jimmy Buffett, “Margaritaville”: Jimmy Buffett also passed away over the weekend. “Margaritaville” might be the most obvious choice for a Buffett song, but it’s still one of my favorites (though it’s no “Cheeseburger in Paradise”).
  3. Hall & Oates, “You Make My Dreams (Come True)”: Heard this one at the diner during family dinner yesterday afternoon. It’s still a banger.
  4. Husker Du, “Sunshine Superman”: Who doesn’t love a hardcore cover of a Donovan song?
  5. Slowdive, “andalucia plays”: Just heard about these guys over the weekend. They’re pretty cool, in a shoegaze-y sort of way.
  6. Better Than Ezra, “At The Stars”: This song will never not be good to me.
  7. Pixies, “Where Is My Mind?”: The soft/loud dynamics of this band were trendsetting for a reason. This song rocks.
  8. Peter Gabriel, “Intruder”: You know that ’80s gated reverb drum sound? The one that dominated ’80s music? It starts with this song.
  9. Nina Simone, “Feeling Good”: The slow burn of this song, the build…it’s just so damn good.
  10. Merle Haggard, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink”: Someone recently pointed out that country music from back in the day was all anti-authoritarian, anti-rules, pro-individuality, and contemporary country is all about licking authority’s boots. They’re not wrong.