Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: June 2019

All of these links point to music.apple.com instead of itunes.apple.com now, but the tool I use to get them is still at itunes.apple.com. It’s a slow death that iTunes is having.
Silhouette – Aquilo
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson
Cologne – Haux
Sober – Edwin Raphael
Coincidental – Betcha
bury a friend – Billie Eilish
How You’ll Be Remembered – Aron Wright
Power Over Me – Dermot Kennedy1
A Big World – Joel Adams
The Bird – SYML
Cocoon – Tommy Ashby
Gentle Punches – Jack in Water
listen before i go – Billie Eilish
Leave a Light On – JacobNeverhill
Me, The Prodigal – Lane Norberg
WHEN I WAS OLDER (Music Inspired by the Film “ROMA”) – Billie Eilish
High Beams (feat. slowthai) – Flume & HWLS
Killer Queen – FIL BO RIVA
I Make Sparks – Novo Amor
Connor – SYML2
Bed – SYML
Antidote – Mr Hudson
Before You Knew It Was Me – SYML
Find Someone – A R I Z O N A
Rebota – Guaynaa
Let Me Hold You – Nick Wilson
Denim Darlin’ – Edwin Raphael
I Of The Storm – Of Monsters and Men
Where Your Secrets Hide (feat. Katie Garfield) – Klergy
Big Yellow Taxi (feat. Vanessa Carlton) – Counting Crows
Girl – SYML
Without the Lights – Elliot Moss
99 – Elliot Moss3
Snowblind – Saro
You There – Aquilo
BITCH (takes one to know one) – Lennon Stella4
Half a Man – Dean Lewis
Until We Meet the Dust – Jack in Water
I Won’t – Richard Walters
Bad for You – Billy Raffoul
Saturn – Sleeping At Last
Gold – JacobNeverhill
Spoke Too Soon – Jake Scott
Wake Up – The Native Sibling5
Amor Genuino – Ozuna
So Called Love – Melis
I Found – Amber Run
Three Strikes (feat. Jack McManus) – Afrojack6
Caves – Haux
Silence (feat. Khalid) – Marshmello
Big Jet Plane – Angus & Julia Stone
Waves – Dean Lewis
Hold Me While You Wait – Lewis Capaldi
Falling Down – Harrison Storm
To the Rhythm – Mattis7
Signs – Leon Else
This Song Reminds Me Of You – Jai Wolf
Do You Mean (feat. Ty Dolla $ign and bülow) – The Chainsmokers
Oceans Away – A R I Z O N A

  1. I heard this playing on the radio the other day and was thoroughly confused, and then confused about why I was confused. I think the moral of the story is that I don’t really understand the concept of radio anymore. ↩︎
  2. This one keeps getting more fun to sing along to. ↩︎
  3. About two weeks after I’d added both of these songs to this list, I was like, “oh, maybe I should try listening to the rest of the album.” So, y’know, look for that next month. ↩︎
  4. Pretty catchy, but I do have to ask: is this actually something people say? ↩︎
  5. This would actually work pretty well in one of those ‘gentle alarm clock’ type apps. ↩︎
  6. This pops up whenever I’m in a nostalgic mood, because I just go to the folder of playlists from a past year, and iTunes sorts by artist first, so this is up a the top. ↩︎
  7. I think this is the catchiest addition this month. ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: May 2019

In theory, a couple days from now we’ll find out that iTunes is being retired; I’m just going to hope that whatever they replace it with still supports smart playlists, because otherwise my entire music workflow is going to collapse.
Silhouette – Aquilo
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson
Hide & Seek (Imogen Heap Cover) – Amber Run
Cologne – Haux
Sober – Edwin Raphael
Coincidental – Betcha1
Heavy Lungs – FLØRE
St. George – Mt. Joy
bury a friend – Billie Eilish
How You’ll Be Remembered – Aron Wright
Run – Harrison Storm
when the party’s over – Billie Eilish
Starboy (feat. Daft Punk) – The Weeknd2
Power Over Me – Dermot Kennedy
Jumper – Natalie Taylor
A Big World – Joel Adams
The Bird – SYML
SKINNYDIP – Jake Miller
WHAT IF YOU FELL IN LOVE? – Jake Miller
my strange addiction – Billie Eilish
Ooh Love Love – sophiemarie.b
Emotion (feat. Panama) – Hazey Eyes
bad guy – Billie Eilish
Cocoon – Tommy Ashby
Last Thread (feat. Huntar) – EMBRZ
Gentle Punches – Jack in Water
listen before i go – Billie Eilish
Leave a Light On – JacobNeverhill
Me, The Prodigal – Lane Norberg3
WHEN I WAS OLDER (Music Inspired by the Film “ROMA”) – Billie Eilish
Eastside – benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid
Loving You – Seafret
High Beams (feat. slowthai) – Flume & HWLS
No Church in the Wild (feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream) – JAY-Z & Kanye West
Thinkin Bout You (Frank Ocean Cover) – Midnight Pool Party4
Killer Queen – FIL BO RIVA
Best Behaviour – Mansionair
Everything All at Once – SYML
Will You Think of Me Later? – Edwin Raphael
I Make Sparks – Novo Amor
Easy – Tycho5
You Spin Me Round (feat. Silver Letomi) – Auralnauts6
Carry On (From “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu”) – Kygo & Rita Ora7
Isle of Strawberries – Edwin Raphael
Maze (Acoustic) – Angel Snow
Saving Grace – Nathan Ball
Connor – SYML
Bed – SYML
Antidote – Mr Hudson8
Before You Knew It Was Me – SYML
Find Someone – A R I Z O N A
SOS (feat. Aloe Blacc) – Avicii
Rebota – Guaynaa
Let Me Hold You – Nick Wilson
Forever Young – Ursine Vulpine
Denim Darlin’ – Edwin Raphael
Alejandro – Lady Gaga9
I Of The Storm – Of Monsters and Men10

  1. The problem with having these playlists be in order like this is that I wind up with the ‘vanguard’ of stuff that’s made it through months of the playlist, and I don’t have any new comments to add to them. ↩︎
  2. In my head, the origin story of this song involves the two guys in Daft Punk just being… paralyzed by introverted terror when The Weeknd walked into their studio ↩︎
  3. This is… pretty off-brand for me, gotta admit. But hey, it sounds good. ↩︎
  4. This is one of two blocks of “it’s time for some throwback music!” in this playlist. ↩︎
  5. Tycho is excellent “lazy Saturday morning” music. ↩︎
  6. Link for context ↩︎
  7. I want to see this movie, but I also… keep forgetting that it’s actually in theaters right now. ↩︎
  8. A+ song for singing along to, surprisingly ↩︎
  9. Fun fact: if you just search for “Alejandro” in Apple Music, you’ll get several covers of this song, but not the original. ↩︎
  10. Found out that a friend of mine recently moved to the neighborhood where I live, and immediately got this album stuck in my head – it came out right when we moved out here, and I spent a lot of time listening to it while getting deliberately lost so I could learn the lay of the land. ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: April 2019

If I’d planned better, I would’ve written this up before I took my laptop to the Apple Store to get a new keyboard. Again.1
Silhouette – Aquilo
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson
Hide & Seek (Imogen Heap Cover) – Amber Run Body – SYML
Better – Khalid
Cologne – Haux
Teardrop – José González
Shadow and a Dancer – The Fray
Hands Held High – LINKIN PARK
Sober – Edwin Raphael
Love Me Back – RITUAL & Tove Styrke
RLNDT – Bad Bunny
Coincidental – Betcha
Heavy Lungs – FLØRE
St. George – Mt. Joy
bury a friend – Billie Eilish
How You’ll Be Remembered – Aron Wright
Faded – Alan Walker
Bigfoot – Mt. Joy
Sheep – Mt. Joy
Run – Harrison Storm
when the party’s over – Billie Eilish
Dinner & Diatribes – Hozier2
Starboy (feat. Daft Punk) – The Weeknd
Power Over Me – Dermot Kennedy
Jumper – Natalie Taylor
Human (feat. Tom Walker) – dodie
A Big World – Joel Adams
WDWGILY – SYML
honest – GOLDN
Freedom Falls – Khushi
The Bird – SYML3
My Boy (feat. Amor Romeira) – Allen King
Tell Me Its a Dream – Phillip LaRue
all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish
SKINNYDIP – Jake Miller
WHAT IF YOU FELL IN LOVE? – Jake Miller
my strange addiction – Billie Eilish4
Ooh Love Love – sophiemarie.b
Emotion (feat. Panama) – Hazey Eyes
ilomilo – Billie Eilish
bad guy – Billie Eilish
Cocoon – Tommy Ashby5
Vhs – Mykey
Last Thread (feat. Huntar) – EMBRZ
Gentle Punches – Jack in Water6
listen before i go – Billie Eilish
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – Imaginary Future
Fade (feat. Paris Jones) – J.u.D.
I Love You (Quintet Version) – Woodkid
Bad Day – Daniel Powter7
HP – Maluma
Purple Sand (My Home) – Big Wild
Leave a Light On – JacobNeverhill8
Me, The Prodigal – Lane Norberg
WHEN I WAS OLDER (Music Inspired by the Film “ROMA”) – Billie Eilish9
Eastside – benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid
Loving You – Seafret
High Beams (feat. slowthai) – Flume & HWLS10
Pity Party – Melanie Martinez

  1. This is the fourth keyboard replacement since I got it last summer; gotta love that butterfly keyboard. ↩︎
  2. There are some excellent jokes about Hozier’s new album, but I won’t be repeating any of them, because I like to pretend I’ve got a better sense of humor than I actually do. ↩︎
  3. This didn’t make it into my playlist on the first listen, but then I came back to it and liked it more, and I’m glad I gave it a second chance. ↩︎
  4. But seriously, Billie Eilish is amazing ↩︎
  5. In the same musical aesthetic as Cologne, above, so of course I’m a fan. ↩︎
  6. Putting this playlist together is actually the first time that I’ve seen the album cover for this. Very ‘Noon Pacific.’ ↩︎
  7. This is what happens when the person driving says “hey, we should listen to a bunch of throwback music.” ↩︎
  8. Still can’t read this title without getting part of Midnight stuck in my head. Coldplay: I’m still a fan. ↩︎
  9. I don’t know how I missed this when it came out, but I’ve listened to it like a thousand times this month, so I guess I’m caught up ↩︎
  10. It’s got an aggressive intro, but I really like the way the guy goes through the lyrics. ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: March 2019

An update since last time: the iTunes Store Search API is nicer if you don’t try to do a lot at once. The moral of the story is… teach your algorithms to slow down and smell the roses?
Silhouette – Aquilo
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson
Ibiza (feat. Romeo Santos) – Ozuna
You Found Me – The Fray
Hide & Seek (Imogen Heap Cover) – Amber Run
Congratulations – Blue October
Body – SYML
Better – Khalid
Cologne – Haux
Teardrop – José González
How to Save a Life – The Fray
Shadow and a Dancer – The Fray
Pyres of Varanasi – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Hands Held High – LINKIN PARK
Sober – Edwin Raphael
Flashback – Majik
Strangers – Majik
Friends (Under the Influence) – Majik
If You’re Gone – Matchbox Twenty
O Superman (For Massenet) – Laurie Anderson
Movement – Hozier
Love Me Back – RITUAL & Tove Styrke
Sola – Luis Fonsi
RLNDT – Bad Bunny
Coincidental – Betcha
Lust – Xela
Temporary – Ella Vos
Heavy Lungs – FLØRE
Let You Down – NF
St. George – Mt. Joy
bury a friend – Billie Eilish
How You’ll Be Remembered – Aron Wright1
Green Eyes – Edwin Raphael
Back In My Body – Maggie Rogers
Visions (feat. RBBTS) – Lane 8
Harbours – Edwin Raphael
Faded – Alan Walker
Places We Don’t Know – Kasbo
Bigfoot – Mt. Joy
Out of Love – Peter Manos
Queen of Coasts – Edwin Raphael
Sheep – Mt. Joy2
wish you were gay – Billie Eilish
Run – Harrison Storm
13th Floor (feat. Lil Halima) – Elias Boussnina
when the party’s over – Billie Eilish3
Dinner & Diatribes – Hozier
Starboy (feat. Daft Punk) – The Weeknd
Power Over Me – Dermot Kennedy4
Where’s My Love – SYML
Mirage – Elina
Not Easy – Evan Roman
Jumper – Natalie Taylor5
Lucky for You – Novo Amor & Gia Margaret
Human (feat. Tom Walker) – dodie
A Big World – Joel Adams6
WDWGILY – SYML
honest – GOLDN7
Freedom Falls – Khushi
The Bird – SYML
Here With Me (feat. CHVRCHES) – Marshmello
When It Ends – Imaginary Future
My Boy (feat. Amor Romeira) – Allen King8
Cama Vacía – Ozuna
Tell Me Its a Dream – Phillip LaRue
all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish
SKINNYDIP – Jake Miller
WHAT IF YOU FELL IN LOVE? – Jake Miller9
my strange addiction – Billie Eilish10
Thinking of You – Christian Kane11

  1. I still want this to be used in a movie. No idea what movie, but it feels very cinematic. ↩︎
  2. Fun to sing along to, 10/10 would recommend ↩︎
  3. This whole album is great ↩︎
  4. Instagram’s little ‘share a song in your story’ thing is a good way to discover music. Not as good as it could be — if they’d give Apple Music links instead of only Spotify, I’d be happier. ↩︎
  5. This is a really good cover. ↩︎
  6. This will very much get stuck in your head ↩︎
  7. Also very catchy ↩︎
  8. Protip: don’t google this guy; if you’re lucky, you’ll just find his YouTube channel. ↩︎
  9. This song really reminds me of “I Like Me Better” ↩︎
  10. As of this writing, this is tied with “bury a friend” for being my favorite song on this album. ↩︎
  11. If you haven’t watched Leverage, you absolutely should, it’s a wonderful, wonderful show. ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: February 2019

Ideally I would’ve spent more time commenting on this list than I did fighting the iTunes Store Search API, but we can’t always get what we want.
Silhouette – Aquilo
start//end – EDEN
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson
Ibiza (feat. Romeo Santos) – Ozuna
Ficción (feat. Bebe) – Costa, Mygal X & Bebe
You Found Me – The Fray
Unsteady – X Ambassadors
Save Me – Majik
Hide & Seek (Imogen Heap Cover) – Amber Run
Amen (LCV Choir) – Amber Run
Conversations with my Wife – Jon Bellion
Be Somebody – Kings of Leon
Congratulations – Blue October
Body – SYML
Better – Khalid
Cologne – Haux
Tongue – MNEK
Bleach Report – Ian Isiah
Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) – Post Malone & Swae Lee
Scared of the Dark (feat. XXXTENTACION) – Lil Wayne & Ty Dolla $ign
Ocean (feat. Khalid) – Martin Garrix
Dark Things – Vic Mensa
Teardrop – José González
Clean Eyes – SYML
Klonopin – Vic Mensa
Over My Head (Cable Car) – The Fray
How to Save a Life – The Fray
Vienna – The Fray
Shadow and a Dancer – The Fray
Hold My Hand – The Fray
Pyres of Varanasi – Thirty Seconds to Mars1
Hurricane – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Night of the Hunter – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Lost In the World (feat. Bon Iver) – Kanye West
Hands Held High – LINKIN PARK
Phony – KROWNS
Sober – Edwin Raphael2
Flashback – Majik
Strangers – Majik3
Friends (Under the Influence) – Majik
SOBER – daste.
If You’re Gone – Matchbox Twenty
O Superman (For Massenet) – Laurie Anderson4
Silver Lining – Mt. Joy
Movement – Hozier
Astrovan – Mt. Joy5
Jenny Jenkins – Mt. Joy
Love Me Back – RITUAL & Tove Styrke
Sola – Luis Fonsi
RLNDT – Bad Bunny6
Dirty Love – Mt. Joy
Clean Eyes (Acoustic) – SYML
Coincidental – Betcha
Thunder – Imagine Dragons
Good Old Days (feat. Kesha) – Macklemore
Lust – Xela
Temporary – Ella Vos
Heavy Lungs – FLØRE7
Let You Down – NF
St. George – Mt. Joy8
bury a friend – Billie Eilish9
Call It Love – Nathan Ball
Colder – Edwin Raphael
The Descent (feat. Lily Moore, Moss Kena & Jacob Banks) – Other People’s Heartache & Bastille
How You’ll Be Remembered – Aron Wright10

  1. I wrote a paper about this song, and haven’t the faintest idea of what grade I got. The moral of the story: stressing about grades has always been pointless. ↩︎
  2. I found an interview this guy didwhere he described his music as “feeling nostalgic about something or feeling some weird sadness about something,” which is exactly my aesthetic, given that I describe my taste in music as “sad hipsters crooning into microphones.” ↩︎
  3. Considering that Majik recently broke up, sorta, I was really happy when this came out and was a great addition to their repertoire; it feels a bit like a return to what they sounded like when I first started listening to them, which is, not coincidentally, why “Friends” is also in this list. ↩︎
  4. I love this, because it makes me nostalgic for the ‘80s. And not in a Thor: Ragnarok “look at how Aesthetic(TM) this time period was!” way, but I genuinely miss my experience of everyday life as a 20-something in the ‘80s. Which is impressive, given that I wasn’t born until the ‘90s. ↩︎
  5. This goes as a shoutout to my sister, who made me listen to this whole album. Told ya it’d wind up in my playlist. ↩︎
  6. Fun fact: I consistently read this title as “‘reliant,’ but pronounced wrong” ↩︎
  7. The first line is great, just “I’m not magnificent” ↩︎
  8. Probably my favorite off this album – “Jenny Jenkins” is really catchy, “Astrovan” has some great lyrics, but “St. George” just has the most visceral emotion in his voice. ↩︎
  9. This feels like the auditory version of a really good horror movie, and I love it. Which is weird, considering that I really don’t like horror movies. ↩︎
  10. Ooh, this is a weird note to end on, just ‘hey, time to be Sad’. Like, I love it, but I would’ve preferred to end on a slightly higher note than “let’s discuss your mortality” ↩︎
Categories
Photography United States

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park has been on my ‘places to visit’ list for quite a while. Honestly, I’m not sure how it wound up there, but I’m happy it did – from what I saw, it’s a pretty cool place.

These are some Hanna-Barbera looking rocks.

(I was told by a friend that you should really try to stay for the whole day, especially sunset, and just see what it all looks like with different lighting conditions, but unfortunately wasn’t able to do that this time; next time, though…)

I also climbed some rocks, but the ones I climbed were… less vertical.

The park was established in the 1930s by FDR. At the time, the Works Progress Administration – among other things – was running a poster campaign intended to inspire the American people, I believe along the lines of ‘look at all this neat stuff our country has!’

Panoramas are fun.

As far as I can tell, Joshua Tree didn’t get any of those posters, unfortunately; something about the federal government very busy all of a sudden.

Seriously, these rocks are fun to climb. I wish I’d brought some proper climbing clothes, I would’ve… probably injured myself much worse than the scraped elbow I got.

A lot of the posters that were produced are lost now, more’s the pity. It was an interesting aesthetic, and I’m a big fan of the whole “advertising for the national parks” thing.

The nice thing about making these with a DSLR and Lightroom as opposed to my phone is that I can pause and wait for people to walk by.

Apparently somebody else was as irritated by all this as I was, because there’s a modern imagining of what a WPA poster for Joshua Tree would’ve looked like; they’re for sale in the park’s information center.

Fun fact about the Joshua Tree: they don’t form rings in the way that other trees do; when scientists want to figure out how old one is, the preferred method is to measure the height, then divide by the species’ average growth rate.

The moral of the story here is that our national parks are a treasure, and we should continue to support them. (And expand them! Write to your congresspeople about it.)

I titled this photo ‘support’ before I started writing this post, so it’s really just an amazing coincidence that I worked it in right after I talked about supporting the parks.

After all, who doesn’t love a whole bunch of beautiful nature?

Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: January 2019

This year, my new year’s resolution was to immediately fail at blogging more often.
Silhouette – Aquilo 1
Antes de Morirme (feat. Rosalía) – C. Tangana
start//end – EDEN
lovely – Billie Eilish & Khalid
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson
Ibiza (feat. Romeo Santos) – Ozuna
you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish
La Modelo (feat. Cardi B) – Ozuna
Ficción (feat. Bebe) – Costa, Mygal X & Bebe
Única – Ozuna
Pteryla – Novo Amor & Ed Tullett
You Found Me – The Fray
Unsteady – X Ambassadors
Save Me – Majik
Please – Saro
Bellyache (Marian Hill Remix) – Billie Eilish
Nevermind – Dennis Lloyd
Be There – Fyfe
Hide & Seek (Imogen Heap Cover) – Amber Run
Amen (LCV Choir) – Amber Run 2
forever free – San Holo & Duskus
Starlight (feat. Mr Gabriel) – Jai Wolf
Conversations with my Wife – Jon Bellion
lift me from the ground (feat. Sofie Winterson) – San Holo
Be Somebody – Kings of Leon
A Sky Full of Stars (Live in Buenos Aires) – Coldplay
Give Yourself a Try – The 1975
BAGDAD (Cap.7: Liturgia) – ROSALÍA
TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME – The 1975
DI MI NOMBRE (Cap.8: Éxtasis) – ROSALÍA
Congratulations – Blue October 3
Body – SYML
Better – Khalid
Cologne – Haux
Such Great Heights – The Postal Service
Such Great Heights – Iron & Wine
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths
First Time (feat. Dylan Matthew) – Seven Lions, SLANDER & Dabin
Tongue – MNEK 4
Lookalike – Conan Gray 5
Bleach Report – Ian Isiah 6
Way Up – Jaden
Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) – Post Malone & Swae Lee
Scared of the Dark (feat. XXXTENTACION) – Lil Wayne & Ty Dolla $ign
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight – The Postal Service
Ocean (feat. Khalid) – Martin Garrix
Beach House – The Chainsmokers
Let Go – Beau Young Prince
Sleeping In – The Postal Service
Hide (feat. Seezyn) – Juice WRLD
Home – Vince Staples
Freak – XYLØ
Dark Things – Vic Mensa
Crash – Chris Malinchak
It’s Only (feat. Zyra) [ODESZA VIP Remix] – ODESZA
Teardrop – José González 7
Correct – MNEK
Clean Eyes – SYML
Klonopin – Vic Mensa 8
Waste of Time – Lostboycrow
Eyes – RÜFÜS DU SOL
Over My Head (Cable Car) – The Fray
How to Save a Life – The Fray
Vienna – The Fray 9
Shadow and a Dancer – The Fray
Hold My Hand – The Fray
Pyres of Varanasi – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Hurricane – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Night of the Hunter – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Lost In the World (feat. Bon Iver) – Kanye West
Hands Held High – LINKIN PARK

  1. I used one of those “year in review” things to analyze my Apple Music data, and after I filtered out the playlist that I leave going when I’m asleep, this was, unsurprisingly, one of my top songs. ↩︎
  2. This and Hide & Seek sorta started me on a nostalgia trip later in the month; you’ll see it in a bit. ↩︎
  3. I really like this song, it’s a cool collaboration, but having half paid attention to the lyrics, I’ve gotta say, I think the guy’s being a dick. “Hey, congrats on the engagement/wedding, also I’ve been in love with you forever” ↩︎
  4. This song is great and I love it ↩︎
  5. I described this to somebody as “a gay guy who got tired of freaking out about Lana Del Rey and decided to just be her.” ↩︎
  6. The intro is great, listen to it ↩︎
  7. May or may not have binge-watched an entire season of House while I was sick. That’s definitely a good show to watch while you’re sick, you just sit there diagnosing yourself with everything. ↩︎
  8. I’m gonna be honest, I mostly just think this song is really funny, because you can hear him thinking “oh, this is gonna upset some suburbanites” with some of the stuff he says. ↩︎
  9. This song is also hilarious, I love that there’s just a whole song about “ooh, sorry, there’s really no way to reach me, I got a new phone or whatever” ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: December 2018

Happy new year, everybody, and I hope it treats you well. My new year’s resolution is to actually do all the stuff I signed myself up to do in the past few weeks, which is… rather a lot of stuff.
Silhouette – Aquilo
Antes de Morirme (feat. Rosalía) – C. Tangana
start//end – EDEN
lovely – Billie Eilish & Khalid
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson 1
Ibiza (feat. Romeo Santos) – Ozuna
you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish
La Modelo (feat. Cardi B) – Ozuna
Ficción (feat. Bebe) – Costa, Mygal X & Bebe
Rooftop (feat. Jake Miller) – The Stolen
Única – Ozuna
Pteryla – Novo Amor & Ed Tullett
You Found Me – The Fray
Arashiyama – Fyfe & Iskra Strings
Emigrate – Novo Amor
Unsteady – X Ambassadors
Save Me – Majik
Who Are You (Anatole Rework) – Aquilo & Anatole
Serotonin Rushes – Fujiya & Miyagi
Please – Saro
Stuck – Imagine Dragons
Generation Why – Conan Gray 2
El Síntoma de (ún) Músico [feat. La Tortuga China] – Trending Tropics
Bellyache (Marian Hill Remix) – Billie Eilish
Nevermind – Dennis Lloyd
Natural – Imagine Dragons
Real Life – Imagine Dragons
Be There – Fyfe
Hide & Seek (Imogen Heap Cover) – Amber Run 3
Amen (LCV Choir) – Amber Run
forever free – San Holo & Duskus
Carousel – Amber Run
Wait for You – Jake Miller
Otro Día en la Tierra (feat. Frank Báez) – Trending Tropics 4
Bad Liar – Imagine Dragons
Starlight (feat. Mr Gabriel) – Jai Wolf
Conversations with my Wife – Jon Bellion
lift me from the ground (feat. Sofie Winterson) – San Holo
Candy Cane Lane – Sia
Be Somebody – Kings of Leon
A Sky Full of Stars (Live in Buenos Aires) – Coldplay
Not for Me – Perfume Genius 5
The Scientist (Live in Buenos Aires) – Coldplay
Give Yourself a Try – The 1975
Only – Imagine Dragons
DE AQUÍ NO SALES (Cap.4: Disputa) – ROSALÍA 6
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall (Live in Buenos Aires) – Coldplay
BAGDAD (Cap.7: Liturgia) – ROSALÍA
TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME – The 1975
DI MI NOMBRE (Cap.8: Éxtasis) – ROSALÍA
Congratulations – Blue October 7
Body – SYML 8
Daylight (Phil Tan Mix) – Blue October
Better – Khalid 9
Cologne – Haux
Let It Snow – Filous 10
O Come, O Come Emmanuel – Sleeping At Last

  1. Now taking bets on which will fall out of these playlists first: this song, or the latest bit of Coldplay. ↩︎
  2. Originally I had a version of this that was released as a single, but it got pulled from Apple Music, so I replaced it with the version off the EP. Not sure what happened there. ↩︎
  3. I didn’t actually realize this was on Apple Music until I was putting this playlist together, the version I have is a rip of the YouTube video. ↩︎
  4. The downside to the Shortcut I have for putting these posts together is that, for whatever reason, it just can’t handle diacritics, so anything that involves áéíóú or ü or whatever just… doesn’t show up, and I have to look up the links by hand. Ugh, my life is so difficult. ↩︎
  5. This is the single most emo thing I’ve listened to all year, and it’s kind of amazing ↩︎
  6. This whole album is really interesting, I definitely recommend listening to it all. ↩︎
  7. Second occurrence of indirect Imogen Heap in this playlist ↩︎
  8. I’m like 95% sure this song is about being trans ↩︎
  9. This song really reminds me of a friend of mine, which is weird because when I sent it to him and said as much he replied “I have never heard this before” ↩︎
  10. Just a hint of Christmas music, here at the end of the month. ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: November 2018

Thanksgiving is over, time for me to start listening to weirdly depressing covers of Christmas music!
Silhouette – Aquilo
Antes de Morirme (feat. Rosalía) – C. Tangana
start//end – EDEN
What a Heavenly Way to Die – Troye Sivan
Loyal – ODESZA
lovely – Billie Eilish & Khalid
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson 1
Since the Day I Was Born – Lostboycrow
Ibiza (feat. Romeo Santos) – Ozuna
Not Alone – LINKIN PARK
Sad Season – Gavin Haley
you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish 2
Optimistic – Lontalius
Push for Yellow (Shelter) – Valley
La Modelo (feat. Cardi B) – Ozuna
Something Just Like This – The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
America – XYLØ
Ficción (feat. Bebe) – Costa, Mygal X & Bebe 3
Viva La Vida (Live in Buenos Aires) – Coldplay
Aura (feat. Arthur Hanlon) – Ozuna
Setting Fires – The Chainsmokers & XYLØ
Una Flor – Ozuna
Bebé (feat. Anuel AA) – Ozuna
Rooftop (feat. Jake Miller) – The Stolen 4
Wash over Me – Jazz Morley
Fix You (Live in Buenos Aires) – Coldplay
Única – Ozuna 5
Stay Closer – ZHU
Pteryla – Novo Amor & Ed Tullett
Alps – Novo Amor & Ed Tullett
You Found Me – The Fray
Arashiyama – Fyfe & Iskra Strings
Seneca – Novo Amor
The Road Less Wandered (SYML Rework) – Aquilo & SYML
Emigrate – Novo Amor 6
Unsteady – X Ambassadors
Save Me – Majik
Who Are You (Anatole Rework) – Aquilo & Anatole
Indian Summer – Jai Wolf
Alabao (feat. Canalón de Timbiquí) – Trending Tropics
Serotonin Rushes – Fujiya & Miyagi
Repeat Until Death – Novo Amor
Please – Saro
Stuck – Imagine Dragons
Reasons to Fight (feat. Ziggy Marley) – Trending Tropics
Generation Why – Conan Gray 7
El Síntoma de (ún) Músico [feat. La Tortuga China] – Trending Tropics
Bellyache (Marian Hill Remix) – Billie Eilish
Nevermind – Dennis Lloyd

  1. Had to get out my phone during a game of Scattergories to prove that there’s actually a song called “Coldplay” ↩︎
  2. Favorite review of this song I’ve heard, (paraphrased) from a tech podcaster: “during the day, put the volume on your HomePod really high, and then play this song. During the day, though, don’t do it at night, your neighbors will get mad.” ↩︎
  3. I’ve actually got a joke I came up with about the way this song sounds, but thinking about it I don’t think I want to post it online, because I don’t want the internet knowing what my sense of humor is like. ↩︎
  4. I haven’t actually listened to Jake Miller’s new single yet, it’s in my queue, but I’m still wondering if anyone’s told him that entire color theme screams “bisexual” ↩︎
  5. does this one get stuck in your head as much if you don’t know Spanish? someone who didn’t take Spanish in high school, report in ↩︎
  6. Probably my favorite song off the new album. That said, the whole thing is great; if you want to feel nostalgic, I recommend it. ↩︎
  7. So far my impression of this guy is “a gay who decided ‘instead of being a Lana del Rey fangirl, I’m just gonna be her’” ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: October 2018

Happily, the new Shortcuts update came out yesterday that makes my “get all these links” Shortcut work again. Have you downloaded iOS 12.1 yet?
Desert Rose – Jay Brannan 1
Silhouette – Aquilo
Oceans Away – A R I Z O N A
Antes de Morirme (feat. Rosalía) – C. Tangana
start//end – EDEN
Real – Majik
Stronger – Kanye West 2
Lucky Strike – Troye Sivan
No Eres Tú – Jesse Baez & C. Tangana
What a Heavenly Way to Die – Troye Sivan
NFWMB – Hozier
Loyal – ODESZA
lovely – Billie Eilish & Khalid
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson
Opps – Vince Staples, Yugen Blakrok
Since the Day I Was Born – Lostboycrow
COPYCAT – Billie Eilish
Boy – ODESZA
Line of Sight (feat. WYNNE & Mansionair) – ODESZA
Can’t Forget You – Mr Hudson
Lyla – Big Red Machine
Higher Ground (feat. Naomi Wild) – ODESZA
The Catalyst – LINKIN PARK
Clarify (feat. Fractures) [Tinlicker Remix] – Lane 8
Bluebird – Lane 8 & Anderholm
Ibiza (feat. Romeo Santos) – Ozuna 3
Hide and Seek – Kodaline
See – Tycho
Not Alone – LINKIN PARK 4
Don’t Come Around – Kodaline
Born Again – Kodaline
Happier – Marshmello & Bastille 5
Angel – Kodaline
Across the Room (feat. Leon Bridges) [Tycho Remix] – ODESZA
Cheap Thrills (feat. Sean Paul) – Sia 6
Hell Froze Over – Kodaline
Sad Season – Gavin Haley
you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish 7
Optimistic – Lontalius 8
Gold – Fyfe & Iskra Strings
Besos Mojados (feat. R.K.M. & Ken Y) – Ozuna
Push for Yellow (Shelter) – Valley
La Modelo (feat. Cardi B) – Ozuna

  1. I think this one isn’t gonna make it into next month’s list, it’s had a good run though. ↩︎
  2. Probably I should get rid oof the last fo the Kanye in my playlists, he’s gone a bit off ↩︎
  3. Because of this song I wound up adding Ozuna’s two most recent albums. Sadly, nothing’s gotten to this level yet, but still, I’m hopeful. ↩︎
  4. I believe all the proceeds from this one are still going to charity, so like… listen for a good cause! ↩︎
  5. This is, like, the opposite of “Optimistic”, further down the list, and it’s kinda nice. ↩︎
  6. I genuinely have no idea if this is the original or not, I’d heard like four different covers of this song before I ever heard Sia sing it. ↩︎
  7. I love both the music and the lyrics, this song is great. ↩︎
  8. Musically I like this, but I’ve been trying to avoid listening to the lyrics because, from what I’ve actually paid attention to, I think the song is basically “white boy Isn’t Sad about being in the friendzone” ↩︎
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: September 2018

Man, I didn’t appreciate “back to school” time enough when I had it.
Desert Rose – Jay Brannan
Thin – Aquilo
Silhouette – Aquilo
All I Want – Kodaline
Follow Your Fire – Kodaline
Six Feet Over Ground – Aquilo
Babylon – Oneohtrix Point Never
You Want It Darker – Leonard Cohen
Oceans Away – A R I Z O N A
Antes de Morirme (feat. Rosalía) – C. Tangana
icarus – EDEN
lost//found – EDEN
start//end – EDEN1
Real – Majik
Stronger – Kanye West
Lucky Strike – Troye Sivan2
Crystal Souls – Headphone Activist
No Eres Tú – Jesse Baez & C. Tangana
Away from You – Sound Remedy3
You Moved Away – Death Cab for Cutie
Clouds, Not Clocks – Slow Meadow
What a Heavenly Way to Die – Troye Sivan
Stupid Mistakes – lovelytheband
Postcard (feat. Gordi) – Troye Sivan
wrong – EDEN
Nina Cried Power (feat. Mavis Staples) – Hozier
NFWMB – Hozier4
When We Drive – Death Cab for Cutie
wings – EDEN
Technologic – Daft Punk5
Loyal – ODESZA
Thought Contagion – Muse
lovely – Billie Eilish & Khalid6
Coldplay (feat. Vic Mensa) – Mr Hudson7
Opps – Vince Staples, Yugen Blakrok
Since The Day I Was Born – Lostboycrow
Zero (From the Original Motion Picture “Ralph Breaks The Internet”) – Imagine Dragons
La Ciudad – ODESZA
COPYCAT – Billie Eilish
Forest Green – Big Red Machine
Boy – ODESZA
Line of Sight (feat. WYNNE & Mansionair) – ODESZA
Can’t Forget You – Mr Hudson
Lyla – Big Red Machine
Fix You – Canyon City8


  1. Seriously, I love this one 
  2. He’s really going for that Lana Del Rey, “I plan to be young and beautiful and then die the moment either of those runs out” aesthetic 
  3. I really like this one, but it really doesn’t agree with the speakers on my phone, which is a bummer when I’m driving; we’re all spoiled by having an aux cord, these days, but I don’t have one. 
  4. “Give your heart and soul to charity/’Cause the rest of you, the best of you/belongs to me” is such a creepy, weird line, and I love it 
  5. Someone asked me “are all Daft Punk songs like this?” while I was listening to this one. 
  6. I’d kinda forgotten about Billie Eilish, to be honest, and then someone reminded me of her and I spent the next two hours just listening to whatever Apple Music had. 
  7. Sent this one to a friend. “I like the song, but I don’t like that it’s not by Coldplay.” 
  8. This wasn’t the only cover of a Coldplay song I almost included; the version of Yellow in Crazy Rich Asians almost made it in. 
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: August 2018

The problem with listening to music that’s mildly non-mainstream is that anything with a simple name is more difficult to find on iTunes.
How It Is – Majik
The Weight – Amber Run
Technicolour Beat – Oh Wonder
Desert Rose – Jay Brannan1
XO – EDEN
Thin – Aquilo
drugs – EDEN
Silhouette – Aquilo
All I Want – Kodaline
Age Of – Oneohtrix Point Never
Follow Your Fire – Kodaline
Closer – Majik
Silent Movies – Aquilo
Six Feet Over Ground – Aquilo
Babylon – Oneohtrix Point Never2
You Want It Darker – Leonard Cohen
Oceans Away – A R I Z O N A
Summertime (feat. San Holo) – Yellow Claw
The Journey – Sol Rising3
Follow – SKALE – E – TRON
X – Majik
stutter – EDEN
Confidence – Majik
Antes de Morirme (feat. Rosalía) – C. Tangana
wonder – EDEN4
icarus – EDEN
lost//found – EDEN
The Way I Am – Charlie Puth
Song For You (Mansionair Remix) – Rhye
forever//over – EDEN
start//end – EDEN5
gold – EDEN
IMPRINT – FELIX SANDMAN
Guerrera – DELLAFUENTE & C. Tangana
Bien Duro – C. Tangana6
Black Sun – Death Cab For Cutie
Real – Majik


  1. I’d argue that the only reason Jay Brannan isn’t considered a Gay Icon to some degree or another is that he specifically doesn’t want to be known as “that gay singer” which is… even more Iconic(TM), to be honest 
  2. can we just take a moment to appreciate the band’s name? it’s so delightfully weird 
  3. This one is very calming. 
  4. Given how much of this album I’ve got in this playlist, I’m gonna go ahead and make the album art the photo for this post. Why does the post need a photo, you ask? Because it’ll look better. 
  5. Top new song this month; I just really love the effect on the piano. 
  6. I’m sorta refusing to think about the lyrics of this one, because from the little bit I’ve understood from casual listening, this is such trashy pop music that I’m probably happier not knowing. 
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: July 2018

This one feels a bit more eclectic than I usually am; I think it’s because I pulled some old stuff back in, too.
Punching in a Dream (Stripped) – The Naked and Famous
How It Is – Majik
The Weight – Amber Run
Beretta Lake (Listen2Liri Remix) [feat. SAINt JHN] – Teflon Sega
Home – Blue October
Hail To the Victor – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Another Mouth to Feed – Rebecca McDade
Technicolour Beat – Oh Wonder
Pompeii (Acoustic) – Bastille
Desert Rose – Jay Brannan
XO – EDEN
Thin – Aquilo
drugs – EDEN
Heaven/Hell – CHVRCHES
Silhouette – Aquilo1
All I Want – Kodaline
Love Like This – Kodaline
Crystals – Of Monsters And Men2
Wolves Without Teeth – Of Monsters And Men
Black Water – Of Monsters And Men
Thousand Eyes – Of Monsters And Men
I Of The Storm – Of Monsters And Men
We Sink [explicit] – Of Monsters And Men
Backyard – Of Monsters And Men
We Don’t Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez) [Attom Remix] – Charlie Puth
Age Of – Oneohtrix Point Never3
Follow Your Fire – Kodaline
Closer – Majik
Lost My Mind – Lily Allen
Higher – Lily Allen
Silent Movies – Aquilo
God’s Plan – CHVRCHES
I Could Fight On a Wall – Aquilo
Body – SYML4
Six Feet Over Ground – Aquilo5
Animal – Majik
Brother – Kodaline
No Choir – Florence + The Machine
Arrows – Haux
Black Snow – Oneohtrix Point Never
Lou Lou – Albin Lee Meldau
Babylon – Oneohtrix Point Never
Time – Kidswaste
You Want It Darker – Leonard Cohen6
Wonderland – CHVRCHES
Oceans Away – A R I Z O N A
We’ll Take It – Oneohtrix Point Never
Summertime (feat. San Holo) – Yellow Claw
The Journey – Sol Rising
Follow – SKALE – E – TRON
Come On Then – Lily Allen
X – Majik
Wild (feat. Khai) – Kidswaste
Now & Here – Aquilo
Who Are You – Aquilo
Thunder – Imagine Dragons
The Fault In Our Stars (MMXIV) – Troye Sivan
stutter – EDEN
Confidence – Majik7


  1. Text message I sent to somebody earlier this month: “I think I want to marry Aquilo’s voice” 
  2. Is this exactly three years since this album came out? I think it’s right about there, I guess I now associate it with summer in the new neighborhood we live in. 
  3. This is just so delightfully weird, I love it. 
  4. I’m not sure if the lyrics entirely support it, but from the portion of them that I actually paid attention to, this totally sounds like it’s from the perspective of a trans person. 
  5. I love stuff like this, it sounds sad but it’s actually happy! 
  6. Go listen to this, it’s amazing and spooky 
  7. This might be a dead link, actually; they were just posting it as a temporary sample kind of thing. 
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: June 2018

It’s been a busy month; if I haven’t mentioned Toggl before, let me mention it now, as a convenient way to make charts demonstrating that you’re overworking yourself.
Silence (feat. Khalid) – Marshmello
Punching in a Dream (Stripped) – The Naked and Famous
Free – Kidswaste
Homegrown – Haux
How It Is – Majik
The Weight – Amber Run
Beretta Lake (Listen2Liri Remix) [feat. SAINt JHN] – Teflon Sega
Bloodsport – Raleigh Ritchie
Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
Home – Blue October
22 (OVER S∞∞N) – Bon Iver
One Track Mind (feat. A$AP Rocky) – Thirty Seconds to Mars
L’aérogramme de Los Angeles – Woodkid & Louis Garrel1
Headlights (feat. Ilsey) – Robin Schulz
Hail To the Victor – Thirty Seconds to Mars2
Another Mouth to Feed – Rebecca McDade
Amen (LCV Choir) – Amber Run
Heaven is a Place – Amber Run
Technicolour Beat – Oh Wonder
Faux – Ed Tullett & Novo Amor
Running Up That Hill – Track & Field3
Better – SYML
Big Jet Plane – Angus & Julia Stone
Pompeii (Acoustic) – Bastille
Touch – Haux
Atlas: Four – Sleeping At Last
Alone – Haux
Desert Rose – Jay Brannan
XO – EDEN4
Zombie – Jay Brannan
Callow – Novo Amor
Really Gone – CHVRCHES
My Enemy (feat. Matt Berninger) – CHVRCHES
Sorry – Aquilo
Miracle – CHVRCHES
Never Say Die – CHVRCHES
Thin – Aquilo
drugs – EDEN5
Heaven/Hell – CHVRCHES
Get Out – CHVRCHES
Ricochet – Haux
Hurt for Me – SYML
Lucid Dream – Owl City
More Colors (feat. Chelsea Cutler) – Kidswaste
Silhouette – Aquilo6
The 5th of July – Owl City
Where’s My Love – SYML


  1. I was hoping “L’aérogramme” translated at something neat, but no, it means exactly what it looks like, “aerogram” 
  2. I keep saying “hail to the victim” when I’m singing along to this one, which kinda makes me hope Weird Al does that version someday 
  3. I’m probably due to rewatch some Warehouse 13 sometime soon, aren’t I? 
  4. Honestly, this song is just kinda hilarious to me. Listen to the lyrics, it’s brutal. 
  5. “‘cause I’m a f*ckin’ mess inside” and my Millenial Humor makes me mutter “that’s some hashtag relatable content” 
  6. I’m gonna go ahead and call this one my favorite from this month, I just really like it. 
Categories
Playlist

Playlist of the Month: May 2018

Slightly delayed, as I wanted to let my capstone posts finish up before I posted this.
Silence (feat. Khalid) – Marshmello
Punching in a Dream (Stripped) – The Naked and Famous
Free – Kidswaste
I Like Me Better – Lauv
Homegrown – Haux
Love Lies – Khalid & Normani
Save Me – Majik
How It Is – Majik
Kings and Queens and Vagabonds – Ellem
The Weight – Amber Run
Beretta Lake (Listen2Liri Remix) [feat. SAINt JHN] – Teflon Sega
Bloodsport – Raleigh Ritchie
Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
Home – Blue October
22 (OVER S∞∞N) – Bon Iver
Live Like a Dream – Thirty Seconds to Mars
One Track Mind (feat. A$AP Rocky) – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Rider – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Stay – Pentatonix
L’aérogramme de Los Angeles – Woodkid & Louis Garrel
Dawn Will Rise – Thirty Seconds to Mars
New Rules x Are You That Somebody? – Pentatonix
Despacito x Shape Of You – Pentatonix
Headlights (feat. Ilsey) – Robin Schulz1
Perfect – Pentatonix
Say Love – James TW
Hail To the Victor – Thirty Seconds to Mars2
Another Mouth to Feed – Rebecca McDade3
Love Is Madness (feat. Halsey) – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Amen (LCV Choir) – Amber Run
Issues – Pentatonix
Havana – Pentatonix
Great Wide Open – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Heaven is a Place – Amber Run4
Someone To You – BANNERS
All We Do – Oh Wonder
Technicolour Beat – Oh Wonder5
Faux – Ed Tullett & Novo Amor
Running Up That Hill – Track & Field


  1. The album art on this one is hilariously bad 
  2. Catchiest one off the new album, if I do say so myself 
  3. The guitar line in this is beautiful, I love it so much. 
  4. I was gonna say ‘probably my favorite off this EP’ and then I thought about it and realized that all three of the songs I’ve got on this list are my favorite of the EP. I’m indecisive, okay? 
  5. There’s a good amount of throwback music in this playlist, I’m aware.