All the Playlists

Two Hearts – Cathal Flaherty

18 June 2018

This week’s track is a little different in that it isn’t what you would typically call a sad song – but then not every track on the Music to Grieve To playlist is going to be morose or downbeat.  Tracks make this list because they’re great at evoking emotion – the songs on Cathal Flaherty’s recent EP The Head & Heart are brilliant at this.

Slow Down – Mac Ayres

15 June 2018

20 Year old Mac Ayres exploded quickly with his first EP “Drive Slow”. As a kid from Sea Cliff, NY. He moved to Boston to attend the Berkeley College of Music. Being around so many different artists allowed him to explore different styles until he found the grove for his EP.

Morris Brown – Outkast

13 June 2018

This is a track that falls under the category of basically uncategorizable. Like the artists responsible for making it, the song is not tied to one genre, one aesthetic, even one message. All in the same musical vehicle the listener gets a taste of the southern pimp, the college marching band, and the soulful starlet…

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) – Stevie Wonder

13 June 2018

This track is a bonafide classic. In a sense it is the quintessential Motown croon, combining soul and love to command the audience to feel something. In a different sense, it is a sound no one but Stevie Wonder could ever dream of bringing to life because it doesn’t just make you feel ​something​, it makes you feel ​everything​…

Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills & Nash

13 June 2018

“Wooden Ships” by Crosby, Stills & Nash came out in 1969, which was at the crest of the Vietnam War and the cusp of a new decade. It would be one of their biggest hits. The melody is fluid and beautiful, but the words are powerful and scary as they address nuclear annihilation…

Visions of Gideon – Sufjan Stevens

13 June 2018

Stevens embodies all my feelings in a soft romantic whispered phrase.  

I’m a huge fan of singer-songwriters. And to see Stevens nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song was amazing, to say the least. Call Me by Your Name is one of my top films of 2017.

Part 28 – Given Circumstances

12 June 2018

The second half of Lent term starts with an Extraordinary Staff Meeting called by The Big Cheese. ‘What’s it all about?’ I ask Biggles when we meet up the night before at the pub.

He shrugs, poring over the jukebox. ‘Search me.’ Then punches buttons. ‘About time they refreshed this. Haven’t heard this for a while though. Happy music for Spring.’

We find seats as Sergio Mendes kicks in.

“…the moon is like a tangerine…”

Ha! They don’t write lyrics like that now!

Part 27 – Given Circumstances

12 June 2018

Over half term back at home, I receive a small package in the post.

‘Someone’s got nice handwriting,’ says mum.

Opening it, three recognisable letters fall out. There’s a message attached. “Thought you might like these back.” And a photo, of a tanned smiling Venus, under an umbrella, honey hair to her shoulders, in a pair of loose fitting black trousers, gathered at the ankle above high heels, bare brown midriff and plunge black top under a short red jacket, standing by a suitcase outside “The Acropolis Taverna.” On the wall, the clock reads nine o’ clock…

Flow with It (You Got Me Feeling Like) – St. Paul & the Broken Bones

12 June 2018

You know that feeling you get when you’re watching the opening credits of a movie you already know is going to be great? That’s the type of feeling I get from listening to this song (in fact, this would totally be a great opening credits song)….

If You Only Knew – Jurassic 5

12 June 2018

Confidence is a trait; staying true to yourself while staying confident is a challenge. Hip hop is all made of confidence and having the boldness to stand up for what you believe, but remaining genuine might be hard sometimes. Yet it is so important.

Drive – Blake Cross

12 June 2018

This song is the buzz of electric lights whizzing past your car as you drive into the city, the warm white glow from your headlights, the electric red sheen of your car. It’s an old car, certainly, but one that’s been with you as long as you’ve been driving. Leather interior seats, air conditioner blowing the summer heat off of your skin.

Aliens x Conversation with God – Shane Eagle

12 June 2018

Hailing from South Africa, Shane Eagle is making serious waves across the globe. With a million streams of his debut album, Yellow. He’s gained a huge following in such a short span of time but what makes it truly remarkable? He isn’t confined to today’s modern rap trend. He’s versatile and capable of reinventing his sound to fit any production.