Category: Vinyl Recommends
Spooky Playlist
With Halloween right around the corner, it makes sense that every store around the block has their decorations on display. When it comes to your music library, it should be with the times. We’ve handpicked some great songs to combine into a playlist all in the theme of Halloween, with spooky things in every song title. Hopefully the only thing that goes “bump” in the night will be some jams.
- “Calling All Skeletons” – Alkaline Trio
- “Halloween All Year” – The Orwells
- “Skeleton Jar” – Youth Group
- “Holy Fucking Ghost” – Owls
- “Walking With a Ghost” – Tegan and Sara
- “Spooky Ghosts” – SNCKPCK
- “Halloween Parade” – Lou Reed
- “Halloween Blues” – The Fratellis
- “There’s Too Much Talk About Ghosts” – Park Jefferson
- “Weighty Ghost” – Wintersleep
Listen: A Playlist for the Sunshine
After many gray days brought to us by hurricane Joaquin, the clouds have parted, and the sun has smiled upon Athens, Georgia. Ironically, the only clear day Athens experienced this past week was the day Father John Misty came to town, and when he left he took our hearts and the sunshine. Alas, it is back, and Vinyl Mag has curated a playlist to lift your spirits and your bum. Listen to the playlist and go outside! Or do both at the same time! Here are all of our favorites from past and present, from The Beach Boys to Wavves, organized in (somewhat) chronological order. Enjoy!
The Pope Rockstar Playlist
As the rocking world has heard, Pope Francis is set to release an 11-track album to help preach his message of faith and righteousness with the masses. The pop-rock album will be called “Wake Up!” and is slated to come out on Nov. 27, 2015. The Pope released a single from the album entitled “Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!” which features his Holiness himself delivering inspirational speeches over beats and background instrumentation.
In honor of the Pope’s budding career as a musician, here are some songs featuring religious figures in the title or the song itself.
- “Hood Pope” – A$AP Ferg
There’s nothing like a bold start to a playlist, and that’s exactly what you get with A$AP Ferg’s “Hood Pope”. The Pope doesn’t seem like a hardened person at all, making this both humorous and serious (because of the lyrical content, it’s not to be taken lightly obviously).
- “Bishop’s Robes” – Radiohead
This particularly dark song by Radiohead is not a light point of the playlist by any means, but it serves as a nose dive into a different territory of rhythm. The bluesy style of “Bishop’s Robes” that sounds similar to something Muse would produce is strangely soothing.
- “Oh My God” – Ida Maria
This song is featured on a lot of soundtracks, but not enough as a single itself. From the gentle crooning of “So you think you’re in control” to the combinations of both singers chanting “Oh my God”, Ida Maria brings a fresh indie element to the playlist.
4. “Jesus Christ” – Brand New
Probably one of the most fitting songs for this playlist, Brand New questions life after death in the reflective “Jesus Christ”. This track questions morality and personal beliefs in a way that both asks for forgiveness and condemns the need for it.
- “Angels and Demons” – Front Porch Step
Front Porch Step brings romantic emotions in juxtaposition with the stereotypical forces of good and evil in “Angels and Demons”. A man and his loved one are at odds and it is comparing his lost heart as being (surprise) sold to the Devil.
- “Superstar” – Jesus Christ Superstar
No religious playlist is complete without a track from the hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar. This is that track.
- “The Pope Smokes Dope” – David Peel and The Lower East Side
There’s no good way to follow up a track as great as “Superstar”, but “The Pope Smokes Dope” is very close. Pope Francis is regarded as the “hippest” Pope in a long time, which probably inspired songs like this. Don’t fret, The Pope does not actually smoke dope.
- “An Audience With the Pope” – Elbow
Elbow is a sleeper hit. Their musical artistry is shown in the cool cascade of random instruments for the intro, followed by the lyrics which are in the style of low-fi indie pop.
- “The Prophet” – Slightly Stoopid
There is no explanation for Slightly Stoopid. They just appear, and whatever they create magically fits into the world perfectly. “The Prophet” is an example of that.
- “Jesus Christ Was An Only Child” – Modest Mouse
The earlier Modest Mouse albums feature low production sounds and are notoriously more indie and acoustic influenced than later albums. The interesting thing about this song is that even though the instruments are friendly and inviting, the lyrics are actually very dark subject content.
Playlist: Favorite Covers
With Ryan Adams’ cover of 1989 releasing today, it’s only appropriate to take a moment to appreciate the allure that a good cover can have. In the case of Ryan Adams and Taylor Swift, it combines two totally different genres, giving pop songs a singer/songwriter feel. Other covers take old school classics and mold them into modern day hits. No matter where your tastes lie, these covers are sure to spark an interest and put a unique spin on the familiar originals.
https://open.spotify.com/user/1224015150/playlist/6c9c9efQnMCpUZgjrq3gB5
Preview: Campfest 2015
With the recent news that Wet Hot American Summer is getting a Netflix reboot, it’s easy to slip into campy (sorry) nostalgia. Think back to the halcyon days of food on sticks, eau de bug spray lingering in the air, and weirdly intense two-month friendships which end in unfulfilled promises to “totally write to each other like all the time!!” If you find yourself missing summer camp, then boy, do we have good news for you: Campfest. Is. Here.
In the same way that Dave & Buster’s is a Chuck E. Cheese for adults, Campfest is a return to the cherished American tradition of outdoorsy, activity-packed summer camp – with a musical twist. We could tell you about the crafting on crafting on crafting, or the karaoke and cornhole competitions, or even the festival’s preposterously picturesque location at a real summer camp in the Blue Ridge mountains of Georgia. But this being Vinyl Mag we’re gonna tell you about the surprisingly rad band lineup.
Making an appearance at the inaugural event are Cold War Kids, the Whigs, Langhorne Slim, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Hey Rosetta!, and Margo and the Pricetags. What better way to stay warm (as warm as you’ll want to stay on a September night in Georgia) in the mountains than a few great bands playing anthemic, ringing rock and roll?
Indie rock is a broad umbrella. If you’re into the harsher, rawer chord assault side of things (as this writer surely is), the Whigs are your bag – check the nuclear bomb that is “Someone’s Daughter”. And you know we always love giving shoutouts to the hometown heroes. But for the mellower folks out there, Cold War Kids and Hey Rosetta! make what I like to call midnight music. It’s contemplative, heavily reverbed, and is generally good for looking thoughtfully out of a car window at the world racing by. Hey Rosetta!’s excellent 2015 record Second Sight is full of such offerings. Cold War Kids, as most of you probably know, make alternative piano ballads that are the perfect comforting nightcaps after a long day of adult league dodgeball. And then there’s the funk side of things, brought to Campfest courtesy of Alanna Royale and her Dap-Kings vibiness. Goes without saying that this lady has a killer voice.
Alternately, Langhorne Slim (nee Sean Scolnick) prefers the rootsier side of bouncy acoustic rock. Though he hasn’t released music since 2012, his discography goes back nearly a decade and is full of fantastic bluegrass-informed numbers like “Coffee Cups” and “Set Em Up”. Speaking of roots music, you mainly need to get your ass here to see newcomers Margo and the Pricetags. They hail from Nashville and unfortunately aren’t on Spotify yet, but that’s no excuse not to fall in love with her whip smart back-t0-basics country.
It’s worth mentioning that Campfest, which runs September 18-20 in Camp Blue Ridge, GA, isn’t even done announcing its full lineup. Wristbands and day passes are on sale here, but why the heck wouldn’t you want to overnight it?
Campfire Playlist
Campfires are the best part of summer for a few reasons. They make for good photo ops; they make you smell FABULOUS; and, most importantly, they repel mosquitos. But to make your next campfire even better, you need some mellow, vibey tunes wafting through the smoke. We’ve got you covered with this chill playlist.
10 Quirkiest White Stripes Songs
Though The White Stripes helped to pioneer the garage rock renaissance of the early 2000s, their bizarre aesthetic often (intentionally) distracted from the ingenious minimalist blues pumping through their Sears amps. Frontman Jack White has often stated that the color scheme and childlike mannerisms of the band were meant to juxtapose the music they played, and to reinforce blues as the people’s genre, interpretable in literally any way. Whether due to freakish sonic experimentation or unintelligible riddles for lyrics, here are their ten quirkiest songs.
10. “I Think I Smell A Rat”
Jack’s lyrics are often aimed at hypocrisy and entitlement, and that’s probably what this song is about too. That or the White residence had a pest issue.
9. “Little People”
The Stripes mostly outgrew their weirdness after Elephant, so you can be damn sure their first record was full of it. “Little People” imagines random, somewhat disturbing vignettes of what children do in their downtime – like playing with spiders or sleeping with tigers.
8. “Black Math”
The super catchy power chord riffage in “Black Math” often distracts from the anti-STEM message at its core. We know Jack hasn’t always been the biggest fan of K-12 – he was brought up in Catholic school and almost went to seminary – but this is a little much!
7. “The Hardest Button To Button”
Otherwise known as “the White Stripes song from that one episode of The Simpsons.” Besides the awesome dabbling in bass and righteously furious cymbal bashing, “The Hardest Button To Button” pretty casually glosses over the topics of kidnapping, voodoo, and space-age technology.
6. “Astro”
Some have posited that “Astro” is also about hypocrisy, given the disdaining nod to Thomas Edison (#TeamTesla). But it could just be a weird dance move that only Detroitians know about.
5. “Rag And Bone”
Put simply, this is the greatest spoken word Jack has ever put to tape (yes, even considering “Old Mary”). He and Meg go on a thrifting adventure that would put Macklemore to shame, and Meg learns a valuable lesson about the line between stealing and borrowing.
4. “Let’s Build A Home”
Few things in life are as ~quirky~ as children’s poetry, as demonstrated by the short intro to “Let’s Build A Home”. Other than that it’s a pretty straightforward chunk of Stripes randomness, but to write a song about a kid’s poem is pretty cool in and of itself. Plot twist: the kid at the beginning is a young Jack, whose family members are prompting him to sing a song about putting the Devil in a box. Is it any wonder he turned out the way he did?
3. “Little Room”
Speaking of architecture, this is a 30 second song about rooms of varying sizes and is probably a metaphor about the band growing in popularity. But it’s also a 30 second song about rooms of varying sizes.
2. “Aluminum”
No self-respecting musician hasn’t, at one point or another, sung into a Wurlitzer. So here is proof that the White Stripes are self-respecting musicians: “Aluminum” consists of Jack and Meg yelling “AAAAHHHH” over a distorted freakshow riff. It is abstract to say the least.
1. “Lafayette Blues”
My personal favorite Stripes song of them all, “Lafayette Blues” simply has Jack singing all of Detroit’s French street names over a manic punk beat. This is the embodiment of the band’s quest to mix the absurd with the fist-pumping, and it works perfectly.
15 Must-See Artists At AthFest [PLAYLIST]
You already know you can count on Vinyl Mag for all your AthFest coverage needs, and we figured that with such a killer lineup this year, you might need help cherry-picking which artists to see. Peep this playlist of some of our favorite bands, both big and small. As per the usual, don’t overlook the deep cuts.
As with every year, the free outdoor stages are fantastic – but you’re REALLY missing out if you don’t do the club crawl. Get your wristband here.
15 Beachy Songs to Add to Your Summer Playlist
One of the most important components to any beach trip is the playlist. Laying out in the sand and surf demands a special collection of vibey tunes, and we’re here to make sure you have those tunes at your disposal. Here are 15 songs you definitely need to add to your summer playlist – 2015 is already heating up, so grab your gear and hit the shore.
Songs For You To Cry To When You Graduate
It’s that time of year again. The Hallmark teddy bears don caps and gowns, college towns are flooded with relatives and their flash photography, and “Pomp And Circumstance” is stuck in everyone’s head. It’s a time of reflection and anxiety and wonder and pride, so of course it requires a decent playlist. Some songs on here are cheeky, some are guilty pleasures we can ALL ADMIT TO, most are anthemic, and some’ll just bring a smile to your face before you walk across the stage. Congrats to the class of 2015… we did it, y’all!