Spotify Me Part 5: Playlist for Algernon

Spotify Me Part 5: Playlist for Algernon

Mark's Discovery Weekly playlist for the week of 9/28/2015

I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time. My memory isn’t the most reliable. If you compliment my shirt I have to check to see which one I’m wearing. And if it isn’t my favorite shirt I get a little disappointed. I also have no clue why I’m telling you any of this. It’s 11:00 on a Sunday night and I’m writing this post during the commercial breaks of a TV showing of the classic film Hook.  What is this?

Oh right, it’s a music blog. Almost forgot. The playlist was good this week! There were a few songs on it that I had seen on my playlist before, so that was a bit disappointing. However, it might just be some splash back from the recent update. For the most part, I was excited to hear the songs that the play list had to offer this week.

Calling Out to You
Quince Records

Sore Feet Song – Ally Kerr

This song might be my favorite form the list this week. It starts out delightful and sweet. Just someone signing about all of the great lengths they have gone to be with the one they love. The guitar beat is light and playful, and peaceful. But then, when the song reaches the chorus, the guitar changes. It falls into a slower, sadder tune that almost breaks your heart. I love songs like these, because even though it’s a quiet, slower song, it holds a great amount of emotional power. You get a dose of the struggle the singer has gone through. The song gives you the ability to empathize with him. And although I love the lyrics to this song, the instrumentals are so spot on that I honestly think I could feel most of the same emotions without them. This is a truly touching song that I haven’t been able to get enough of this week.

Flight of the Conchords
Produced by Mickey Petralia

Robots – Flight of the Conchords

Don’t worry, this is not the first time I have listened to Flight of the Conchords. Not even the first time I’ve heard this song. It is however, the first time I have noticed that the bands name is a play on words. How did I miss that? Anyway, I really enjoy this song. The Chonchords have a great sarcastic humorous tone that is right in line with my weird sense of humor. For example, the elephant joke in this song might be my favorite part of the whole song. I also really enjoy the assertion that the year 2000 is the “distant future”.  This song is great for a laugh. And If you enjoy it, and you haven’t heard of The Conchords already, I insist you look into them more.

Lust in Phaze
Rhino Entertainment

Circles – Soul Coughing

Although I am fairly certain I have never heard this song before, at the same time I feel like I have. It was a weird blast from the past for me. It’s a style of song that was very popular right out of the 90’s, and into the early 2000’s. I feel like its something I would have listened to on a Hit Clip. You remember those? Hit Clips? Anyway, I like this song. It’s similar to something like Blues Traveler but I don’t feel like I’m 50 when I listen to it (no offense to Blues Traveler, I like them also). The song is catchy, steady paced, and fun to listen to.  It’s a nasty one that will get stuck in your head, so get ready for that. But its better to have a good song stuck in your head than a bad one.

Hexadecagon
Peek-A-Boo Records

Fuguefat – The Octopus Project

So, I know I’ve been sore about songs being repetitive before. And this song is about as repetitive as it gets. But for this song it really works. There are small mixes and added instruments though out, which helps. But more than that, the song builds. It builds to ad a sense of urgency that you can feel. Every time I listen to this one, I get the feeling that there is somewhere I need to be, or something very unfortunate is going to happen. Without being sinister or dark, this song still manages to capture a small category of fear, the fear of missing something, loosing something, chasing and failing to catch something. And for me, a song that can capture a moment or a feeling in the way this song does is truly incredible.

The Near Future
I Fight Dragons

Jimmy and Sally – I Fight Dragons

People have been telling me for about 2 years now that I need to listen to I Fight Dragons. And for some reason I keep putting it off. If I’m honest, it’s because I’m getting a bit tired of video game nostalgia music. And from people’s descriptions, I figured that was really what this band was. But those descriptions truly sell this band short. This band is actually just what I needed. The song Jimmy and Sally incorporates video game noises, but isn’t about video games, which is what I have been waiting for. This song is exciting, fast, catchy, and touching. I listened to it several times just to make sure I really liked it and I do. I keep trying to find other ways to say this, but it’s a real song. It’s written to tell a story and convey an emotion. It tells a sweet story about musicians, and falling in love, similar to any song out of the 80’s. It rocks hard, swings well, and is just a damn good song.

(The album artwork in this article is not owned by the authors of this blog, but by the producers of the albums themselves.)