2 stellar playists

1. Music to Strum To

Isabel – Juana Molina – Tres Cosas
Suddenly Everything Has Changed – The Postal Service
The Good that Won’t Come Out – Rilo Kiley – The Execution of All Things
Love is an Arrow – Aberfeldy – Young Forever
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover) – Ray Lamontagne
Arms of a Woman – Amos Lee – Live from KEXP
Valentine, NE – Rachel Ries – For You Only
*I actually have no idea who this next song is by, but it sounded like REM and even though it's not I love it. It’s a mystery.
Studying Stones – Ani DiFranco – Knuckle Down
Hymn – Andy Stochansky – Five Star Motel
I’m Ready – Tracy Chapman – New Beginning
Here I Dreamt I was an Architect – The Decemberists – Castaways and Cutouts
Ballad of Cable Hogue – Calexico – Baddle of Cable Hogue CDS
Protection – Massive Attack (feat. Tracy Throrn – Everything but the Girl) – Protection
Hamburg Song – Keane – Under the Iron Sea
Miniature Disasters (acoustic) - KT Tunstall

This collection is filled with really beautiful acoustic and mellow stuff. I mostly selected these pieces for their lyrics, but all are musically solid too. I almost called it 8:39, in homage to a previous playlist (titled 8:38) I made that was perfect for Sunday mornings, reading the paper and drinking coffee.

Of note on this compilation:
-The simple beauty in the Rilo Kiley track (Jenny Lewis is great). Solid lyrics and intriguing thoughts.
-Rachel Ries' amazing voice. I think she's secretly a siren.
-Andy Stochansky cobbles together what seems to be two completely different songs, but it works.
-Massive Attack is infinitely better with Tracy Thorn on lead vocals. It's less trip-hop than their other stuff.


2. Music to Sing With

What is and What Should Never Be – Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II
Bring Me Some Water – Melissa Etheridge – Melissa Etheridge
Think Long – Mates of State – Bring it Back
Runnin’ Out of Fools – Neko Case – Blacklisted
Honky Tonk Women – Rolling Stones – Hot Rocks, (1964-1971)
Burning – The Whitest Boy Alive – Dreams
Blue Sky – The Allman Brothers Band – Eat a Peach
Neighborhood #2 (Laika) – The Arcade Fire – Funeral
Lakes of Ponchartain – The Be Good Tanyas – Blue Horse
For The Price of a Cup of Tea – Belle and Sebastian – Just Pretend Summer Isn’t Ending
Such Great Heights (Postal Service cover) – Ben Folds
Banquet – Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
Noticed – MuteMath – MuteMath
Slow Hands – Interpol – Antics
This Fire – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand

This playlist is ideal for days that are clouded by frustration. Chock-full of familiar rock favorites and good "singing from your belly" type tunes. It could also be called It Feels Good To Be Me Today.

Of note on this compilation:
- This Melissa Etheridge song made me realize how fantastic she is. She just HOWLS at the end.
- Neko gives it to her jilted ex-lover and rocks out in this song. Women across the world cheer.
- Burning. Hands down one of my favorite songs. I can listen to it on repeat for hours because he doesn't mess up the beautiful instrumental part at the end by feeling the need to come back and sing one last chorus.
- In the MuteMath track, I love that you can't tell if he's talking about a fantastic woman or God.
- The last two are worth turning your stereo way up...or strutting about the living room. (But I wouldn't know anything about that.)