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Nothin But Fuckin Love Songs vol. 4
OH HULLO! ✨👋🏻
How’s my Valentine!?!?! 💘
Yo remember when I had a lot of intense but well meaning things to say about love on Valentines Day when I dropped vol. 2 back in 2021? I just had such a moment looking back at that post now, it’s so beautiful to be able to witness myself at the beginning of this healing journey I’ve been on. I’ve really been committed to making space for everyone to feel loved since I got in the thick of this. (She’s always been such a sweet sweetie! 🥹)
So wild to think of how little space I was actually making for myself in that moment.
It can be really hard to see the love around you, let alone be open to receive all of it. I didn’t realize just how bad I had gotten at receiving love until I was fortunate enough to enroll in yoga teacher training in the fall of last year. During the week when we were covering the heart chakra, we were told we would be doing an exercise where we were going to sit in a circle with our knees touching, hands on our knees, and then have someone sit in the center of the circle. That person was then supposed to make eye contact with you, say something they loved about you, and you were just supposed to take a breath and receive whatever they said while maintaining eye contact.
You had to rotate and have this experience with every single person in the circle.
Yeah.
I remember thinking to myself, “OMG That sounds so uncomfortable. Watch, they’re going to make me go first or some shit.”
THEY TOTALLY FUCKING DID. 😂
Let’s just say thankfully(?) it was just about as overwhelming for everyone else as it was for me. 😮💨 I probably had the most snot on my hoodie tho 😪. It was so fucking sweet. We all got so much closer after that.
I’ll never forget that experience. It’s made me think a lot about how it seems like it’s become just as hard to receive love as it is to feel comfortable asking for it, and not just from other people, but also from ourselves.
I’ve recently started to use love songs as a litmus test to see where I’m at with my relationship with myself on any given day. 🧪 If I catch myself hung up on a song and I’m feeling anxious as a result, I pay attention to how the lover is addressed in the song and show up for myself in that way. When the song goes back to feel good vibes that’s how I know I’ve done my job effectively. It’s a pretty cool concept to experiment with. I invite you to give it a try with your favorite love songs. Alternatively, as per usual, I’ve assembled another stack of songs from my stockpile for my annual offering, so if you’re open to receiving some love from me while you venture inward, amazing. You can also just listen to these and pretend like they’re all for you, too. You know how to love yourself best (or you should anyway), so take all the love you need from these pixels you’re interacting with right now.
Sending you Lots of love, Valentine! 💖
#diSKOAverweekly: Week of June 17, 2020
Hello it’s your friendly playlist junkie poking her adorable lil head out to say hello. I had all of these lovely things to say about all of these songs but then the entire day just kind of imploded so next update (which will not be in two months sorry sorry sorry but also not sorry) will be thorough and what you deserve. You just really need to hear all of these things because they’re what have been keeping me sane. Maybe I will come back in and edit this up to my standards but for now please enjoy lots of love. 💖
Onsen - “Be There”
HUMANS - “Beggin”
Anthony & Cleopatra - “Why Don’t You Just Call Me”
Midnight Pool Party - “Nonchalant”
CLYPSO - “D.Y.S. (Defend Your Situation)”
James Indigo - “Cxntour”
Anoraak - “Between Love (feat. Outside The Disco)”
RAC - “Change The Story (feat. Jamie Lidell)
Approachable Members Of Your Community - “Only Friend”
Miro Shot - “Someone Else’s House”
Dumbfounded - “Outside (feat. SATICA)”
JR JR - “This Side of Paradise”
Duck Sauce - “I Don’t Mind”
Le Couleur - “Concorde”
JEANA - “808 (How Would You Like It like That)?”
Jamie Lane - “Sweet/Bitter”
Martin Luke Brown - “J.O.Y.”
JMR - “Cheap Happiness”
Young & Sick - “CAN I CHANGE”
Steve Cousins - “Start Again”
Jake Isaac - “10 Steps To Heaven”
Day Wave - “Crush”
Nana Adjoa - “Love and Death”
Poté - “Lonely”
Husky Loops - “You Bore Me”
Blonder - “Bees In The Sun”
Timi Temple - “Fa-Fa-Fading”
Bombay Bicycle Club - “I Can Hardly Speak”
tiLLie - “The Heart”
Genesis Owusu - “Don’t Need You”
Vacationer - “Treat”
Mark Ronson - “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (feat. Raissa)”
[SONG OF THE DAY] Big Data - "Monster (feat. Jamie Lidell)"
I. Am. So. Happy. These. Dudes. Collaborated. Again.
Y'all remember the awesomeness that was "Clean" off of Big Data's 2.0, which featured vocal stylings of now Nashville-based powerhouse Jamie Lidell. Well the two have teamed up to REALLY own the Black Mirror pop genre that I playfully invented when "See Through" materialized a few months back. I happened to be starting in on the mini stack of books that Big Data mastermind Alan Wilkis has been casually recommending via his Instagram stories, starting with his #1 recommendation: Life 3.0 Being Human In The Age of Artificial Intelligence just as "Monster" dropped on Friday.
Y'all.
The second I got to the chorus of "Monster" I couldn't grab that book fast enough. First of all, I was covered in goosebumps because this first person narrative as sung by Lidell is the kind of story that technologists everywhere : creating technology that we later deeply regret because it ends up being really harmful to mankind. We are definitely living in peak "just because we can make it, SHOULD we make it?" era right now. It's very obvious (and honestly really comforting) that Wilkis has spent a great deal of time pondering this about various technologies we're semi-normalizing in culture and giving us plenty to reconsider before blindly believing that every technological advance is inherently good for us.
Suffice it to say, every second that I have downtime I am reading that book. Already two chapters in I'm already starting to gain a deeper understanding of the concerns Wilkis' has. It's made me hope that other Big Data fans get curious and equally concerned about our future.
We're currently 3 songs deep into 3.0's album cycle with no concrete release date in sight, BUT our favorite data driven dude will be hitting the road as he headlines the Sirius XM Alt Nation tour starting in mid-October, so my Kibbe-sense says we'll probably have the whole shebang by then.
Also in 310 pages I will be making our impending interview official, so know that's coming too.
BIG DATA Tour Dates:
October 14th - Shelter - Detroit, MI
October 15th - HiFi - Indianapolis, IN
October 16th - Chop Suey - Chicago, IL
October 18th - Rumba - Columbus, OH
October 19th - Cambridge Room @ HOB - Cleveland, OH
October 21st - Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT
October 22nd - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
October 23rd - Foundry - Philadelphia, PA
October 24th - Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY
October 25th - Songbyrd - Washington, DC
October 27th - Underground - Charlotte, NC
October 28th - The Cowan - Nashville, TN
October 30th - Cambridge Room @ HOB - Dallas, TX
October 31st - Bronze Peacock @ HOB - Houston, TX
November 1st - Antone’s - Austin, TX
November 2nd - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX
November 4th - Valley Bar - Phoenix, AZ
November 5th - Voodoo Room @ HOB - San Diego, CA
November 6th - Resident - Los Angeles, CA
November 7th - Chapel - San Francisco, CA
November 9th - Dante’s (Take Warning) - Portland, OR
November 10th - Chop Suey - Seattle, WA
[2016 Recap] A Few Of My Favorite Things
bless Topsters for assembling this graphic infinitely easier than prior years
Surpriiiiseee!! I'm going to do my year end wrap up differently than most of the ones I've seen. Mostly because I have so many to share, but mostly because I like to let the music do the talking and help you get better connected to the artists themselves. Instead of recaps of each record, I'm going to point you to my favorite tracks so if any of these are new to your ears you'll have the best starting point I can give you.
Personal Observations for 2016
This was a weird year for me in terms of listening/discovery habits. Instead of fighting against music consumption trends, I decided to play along. I dove head first into my Discover Weekly playlist. I even followed some of my friends' in order to see what I would find and set up an IFTTT recipe to archive everything recommended to me so I could go back and reference it later if I wanted. I barely touched my SKOA inbox, which probably upset a lot of publicists. Anyway, according to Last.FM's data (since Spotify never ended up sending me mine), I listened to 1,919 new artists this year, which is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. But really when you think about how much music Discover Weekly puts in front of you, it's really less than what everyone had the potential to check out (which is 1,560 if you figure we get 30 new tracks a week for a year). I am in the 98th percentile in music listening per Last.FM (meaning I listen to more music than 98% of people who still scrobble to Last.FM) and I found myself panicky and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music that Spotify thinks I can get through on TOP of the music I already love and want to enjoy, or the random rabbit holes I end up falling into that typically bring me great new baby bands. I guess most people approach Discover Weekly differently than I do, letting artists come and go as they please, but knowing the transformative power that music possesses, I'm always wary of passing on an opportunity to be affected and share those experiences with others.
It's crazy to think that 20% of what stuck with me this year was randomly generated by The Algorithm and not delivered to me by humans. I almost said that the human delivery was through cosmic forces, but really, if music finds its way to your ears/hearts by friend or by Algorithm, both are cosmic in a way, no?
This is my struggle at present. I value the connection that happens when a humans experience music together, whether it be by recommendation or attending shows together. I worry this experience will continue to be diminished the more we silo ourselves into our algorithm-based echo chambers. I really hope I'm just out of touch and someone will point me to where this is the opposite, but I can't ignore how self-serving shows feel now every time I treat myself to a Night Out. This has been on my heart/mind too much lately to ignore it, so expect some changes to how things go down on the site (starting with making more time for this now that my new job isn't crazy busy for awhile).
What music moved you this year? Did you like some of these records but different tracks? I'd honestly love to know so please drop me a comment. Also if you want more than favorite tracks out of me for these records, feel free to bug me on Twitter I am happy to share!
My Favorite Things Of 2016
[Download] Jamie Lidell - "Completely Exposed" (Beck Remix)
Okay seriously. Beck, darling, you really need to cut it out. Granted, it is appropriate that you did a rework of someone you co-produced last year and of all songs, "Completely Exposed" is quite the doozy to remix, but let's get back to work on a new album, shall we?
This remix of Jamie Lidell's gritty pop/r&b number actually gives you less time to cruise around the song but feels like you are getting the chance to spend some more time with it. Not bad at all if you ask me.
Have a listen below and if you're feeling it you can swap your email address for the remix after the jump.
Okay seriously. Beck, darling, you really need to cut it out. Granted, it is appropriate that you did a rework of someone you co-produced last year and of all songs, "Completely Exposed" is quite the doozy to remix, but let's get back to work on a new album, shall we?
This remix of Jamie Lidell's gritty pop/r&b number actually gives you less time to cruise around the song but feels like you are getting the chance to spend some more time with it. Not bad at all if you ask me.
Have a listen below and if you're feeling it you can swap your email address for the remix after the jump.
[$FREE.99] SPIN Presents Park Life (Featuring Music From Spoon, Wavves, Chiddy Bang, Cut Copy and More)
SPIN Presents Park Life to help get those going to Lollapalooza, Perry Farrell's annual celebration of music in Chicago's gorgeous Grant Park, psyched for the festival this weekend (August 6-8). However, even if you are not going its a free download album of songs by 14 must-hear bands picked by the editors of SPIN.
The compilation features tracks from Lollapalooza performers like Spoon, Social Distortion, Wavves, Dirty Projectors, Cut Copy, Erykah Badu, and many more. Download your free copy by clicking "GET IT NOW" in the widget below.
SPIN Presents Park Life Tracklisting:
1. Spoon, "Written in Reverse"
2. Wavves, "Post Acid"
3. Social Distortion, "Far Behind"
4. Deer Tick, "20 Miles"
5. Dirty Projectors, "No Intention"
6. The Temper Trap, "Science of Fear"
7. The Big Pink, "Dominos"
8. Jamie Lidell, "Telephone (Tiga Remix)"
9. Chiddy Bang, "Dream Chasing"
10. Cypress Hill, "Light it Up"
11. Erykah Badu, "Window Seat"
12. Nneka, "Viva Africa"
13. Cut Copy, "Hearts on Fire (Holy Ghost! Remix)
14. Empire of the Sun, "Walking on a Dream (Hong Kong Blondes Remix)"
[Listen and Download] Tiga and Bill Youngman Remix Jamie Lidell's "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" & "You Are Waking"
The original version of Jamie Lidell's "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" was instant sex, straight forward. It was very reminiscent of an old school Prince jam. The track now gets the club banging remix treatment by Tiga and is featured on Lidell's latest release for the single, along with the Bill Youngman rework of "Are You Waking." Check both bangers out below and pick out Jamie's newest album Compass produced by Beck today!
Jamie Lidell - "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" (Tiga Party Like it's 19909 remix) by Some Kind of Awesome
Jamie Lidell - "You Are Waking" (Bill Youngman Remix) by Some Kind of Awesome
[Watch] Jamie Lidell - "I Wanna Be Your Telephone"
How about some funky freshness for your weekend? Jamie Lidell drops a new video for his Beck produced track "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" off his latest release Compass.