Category: Playlists

Great tunes to add to your own playlists

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Playlists

A Playlist For The End of The Day

N.E.R.D Album Cover for "In Search of..."

At the end of some days, all I want to do is invite my friend Josh over to talk and hang out while we listen to music. These evenings are some of my favorites: relaxing, pure, and full of laughter. The two of us made a very long playlist for these sort of get togethers, so I’ve decided to make a shorter version to share with you all. What’s better than decompressing musically with one of your best friends? Nothing. Check it out below:

  1. “Ur2yung” by Machinedrum
  2. “Spookie Coochie” by DOECHII
  3. “It’s Possible” by Piero Piccioni, Catherine Howe
  4. “Clementine” by Elliott Smith
  5. “Friday (Strip Club)” by SpaceGhostPurrp
  6. “Bobby James” by N.E.R.D
  7. “Beautiful” by Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Uncle Charlie Wilson
  8. “Go2DaMoon” by Playboi Carti, Kanye West
  9. “Sour Times” by Portishead
  10. “Short Circuit” by Daft Punk
  11. “What More Can I Say” by The Notations
  12. “LA” by Boy Harsher

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify.

It’s an eclectic playlist to say the least, but that means there may be something for everyone. I hope you find what you didn’t even know you were looking for.

Here’s to good music and good friends,

Silya Bennai

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Blog Miscellaneous Playlists

dj mozzie’s itchiest picks #1

Howdy y’all! Formerly known as museum maddie on the exhibition, I’ve done some rebranding after some soul searching and now bring to you dj mozzie and my itchiest picks! I’m not currently doing a set this semester but still wanted to share the music I love and hope you’ll love too. I’ve been trying to discover music that sits with me for a while, and I’ve put together the 12 songs that have made me feel warm and fuzzy as of late. I’ve been in sort of a transition period with my taste in music. During the exhibition, I was into more bedroom pop and indie rock. Fall usually reminds me of the stomp-and-holler-Mumford-and-Sons-or-The-Lumineers-type-music, but it feels a bit tired out for me.

I’ve put together a little fall playlist meant to be listened to during this time of transition, change, and (most importantly) Halloween. These songs are homely and buttery, perfect for the colder temperatures. Playlist #1 of many. Nothing says fall to me like classic rock. I started this playlist off with Season of the Witch by Donovan, which I played for a Halloween set when I was doing the exhibition. This song reminds me of warm apple cider and spices. I snuck in So Far Away by Carole King, which is definitely a personal favorite of mine. Carole’s voice is so unique, and this song matches the changing colors of the leaves. I leave you with dj mozzie’s itching picks!

  1. Season of the Witch by Donovan
  2. Flower Power by Greta Van Fleet
  3. Wish I Knew You by The Revivalists
  4. Elenore by The Turtles
  5. Witchy Woman by Eagles
  6. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
  7. Spooky by Classics IV
  8. Love Potion No.9 by The Searchers
  9. Top Of The World by The Carpenters
  10. So Far Away by Carole King
  11. Who’ll Stop The Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival
  12. Tangerine by Led Zeppelin

<3 mozzie

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Playlists

Albums On Repeat This Fall

Glitch-edited photo of leaves. White text in the center of the photo that reads "Albums on repeat this fall"

Autumn is in full swing (although, I wish it were at least 15 degrees cooler outside), which means my rotation of albums to circle through is autumn to its core. So, let’s get straight into it and look at the albums I frequent during the fall time. Hopefully this list can give you some inspiration or remind you of an album you haven’t heard in a while.

  • “Tapestry” — Carole King (1971)
  • “Tender Buttons” — Broadcast (2005)
  • “Any Other City” — Life Without Buildings (2001)
  • “Figure 8” — Elliott Smith (2000)
  • “Lesser Matters” — The Radio Dept. (2003)
  • “The New Abnormal” — The Strokes (2020)
  • “Just As I Am”— Bill Withers (1971)
  • “Hypnic Jerks” — SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (2018)
  • “Emmerdale” — The Cardigans (1994)
  • “Painted Shut” — Hop Along (2015)
  • “songs” — Adrianne Lenker (2020)
  • “Dark In Here” — The Mountain Goats (2021)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • “Our Extended Play” — beabadoobee (2021)
    • Unfortunately only four songs, so it’s not an album, but it’s so, so good.
  • “Speak Now” — Taylor Swift (2010)
    • Controversial to not list “Red,” but “Speak Now” (despite having a song called “Back To December” on it) is much more fall to me. An honorable mention because this probably isn’t up the alley of most WKNC listeners, but hey, you never know.

Happy listening,

Caitlin

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Playlists

It’s Fall, Y’all (October Edition)

Brown background image with red and orange leaves overlayed with text that reads "it's fall y'all" in the upper left hand corner and "88.1 WKNC" in the bottom left hand corner

As you may have seen previously here on the blog, I started a Fall themed playlist in September that that I said I’d be adding 15 songs to each month of Fall (September, October and November) to celebrate this wonderful season. 

Where the last playlist was melancholia and cold warmth, this section of the playlist is synth and October-chill. Picture it: trick-or-treating in 50 degree autumn chill, decorative skeletons on your neighbors’ porches, apple cider, haunted mansions and the controlled fright of horror movies. 

  • “Texas Choir” — St. Vincent
  • “Elm” — Clever Girl
  • “Caught in the Briars” — Iron & Wine
  • “Tonight I Feel Like Kafka” — Jealous of the Birds
  • “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft” — Carpenters
  • “monumental shame” — SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
  • “Call off the Dogs” — Marika Hackman
  • “the devil’s dance” — Dafna
  • “Animals” — Big Thief
  • “Lights Out” — Broadcast
  • “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” — Bon Iver
  • “Séquence de Rêve (Parts I and II)” — Whatever, Dad
  • “Love Song” — Vashti Bunyan
  • “Sore” — Emily Yacina
  • “Everyone I’ve Never Met” — Leith Ross

I hope this playlist fulfills your spooky October needs, and I can’t wait to show you what I have in store for November. As always you can stream this playlist on Spotify.

Until next time,

Caitlin

Categories
Blog Miscellaneous Non-Music News Playlists

It Feels New To Me: A Playlist

Pearly Drops' "Call For Help" Album Cover

Something feels new. Yes – fall just started, my roommate got a new laptop, and I dyed my hair bluish. I still think it’s something else. There’s something going on that has me thinking things could simply start anew. A new attitude, new approach, new anything. To reflect all this newness, I made a playlist of songs I like that are new to me:

  • “Watch” by Arca, Shygirl
  • “You Go to My Head – Take 1” by Billie Holiday
  • “Asmr” by Only Fire
  • “Bring” by Randomer
  • “No More Shubz” by Klein
  • “HAD TO DID IT ON EM” by Human Part
  • “The Man” by N.E.R.D
  • “Call For Help” by Pearly Drops
  • “Frenchcore Loca – Original Mix” by Randy, Radium
  • “It’s Possible” by Piero Piccioni, Catherine Howe
  • “Kamala” by D.R. Hooker

There’s no true rhyme or reason to this playlist other than that it suits this newness that I know exists but that I cannot explain. I hope this makes sense to someone.

Here’s to feeling new and acting accordingly,

Silya Bennai

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Playlists

(More Of) My Favorite Songs Under One Minute

WKNC 88.1 blog

Back in early July, I made a blog about some of my favorite tracks under one minute, whether they are reprises, interludes, or little ditties. Ever since then, songs under one minute keep popping up everywhere I look, so I figured I’d make a sequel to update you all on some more of my favorite songs that are under one minute. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

“boi” by Illuminati Hotties

LENGTH: 0:57

This interlude-esque track in “Kiss Yr Frenemies” is a loud, proud, yet intimate proclamation of infatuation and love.

“Rattlesnake ASMR” by Miniature Tigers

LENGTH: 0:58

Another track serving as an interlude within an album, this track is a lo-fi instrumentation that is soothing enough to lull you right to sleep.

“Minus 3” by Broadcast

LENGTH: 0:48

A bouncy-synthy track on “Tender Buttons” supposedly refers to Trish Keenan and James Cargill losing a third member of their group, and this project was Broadcast’s first with Keenan and Cargill as a duo.

“New Monkey – Keys” by Elliott Smith

LENGTH: 0:42

This is a synthy track which is what it says it is, the keys playing the melody of Smith’s song “New Monkey” which was released posthumously.

“Tåget” by The Radio Dept.

LENGTH: 0:56

This guitar-centered song starts out with bird noises which continue throughout it, giving it an outdoorsy and refreshing feel, and it washes over you as you listen.

“Hable con Ella” by The Marías

LENGTH: 0:33

A nostalgic feeling track with breathtaking instrumentals.

“JMC Retro” by Pavement

LENGTH: 0:42

With lonesome and yearning lyrics, this song leaves you wishing it was longer than 42 seconds.

I added these songs to the playlist I made for my previous blog, and you can stream it on Spotify.

Until next time,

Caitlin

Categories
Playlists

Struggle Making Playlists? Have Some Playlist Prompts

Red and Yellow Ipod in the foreground, plain black background. Red text that says "Let's make a playlist"

Ever since I downloaded Spotify in eighth grade, (which was seven years ago now) I have loved making playlists. I always come up with new ideas or rework old ones or make ones that I never finish or don’t rest until I find the perfect mix I’m looking for. I’ve even spent the last year or so sharing playlists with y’all here on the WKNC blog; making playlists is a huge creative outlet for me.

But I know that my music taste isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I encourage everyone to find their own unique tastes (which you can do with the help of my “How to Find New Music” blog). If you want to organize your music but you feel like you never know how to, I’m here to help. The following are some prompts/ideas for you to organize your music. By no means is this foolproof, but these are some ideas that have inspired me in the past.

SEASON

  • Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter: they all have distinct moods and sounds. Find songs that fit the aura of each season. I’m working on a continuous Fall playlist for the blog, and it’s been so fun listening to a bunch of music and deciding what is and isn’t fit for Fall’s aura.
  • EXAMPLE: “it’s fall y’all”

TIME

  • This is how most people I know organize their music. They’ll create a new playlist for each month or quarter (every 3 months) and add songs they discover or really like throughout this period of time and add as they go. It takes some adjusting, and this is not my personal favorite way  to organize music, but it works for a lot of my friends. 
  • EXAMPLE: “this used to be a current playlist”

MY TASTE IN [INSERT NUMBER] SONGS

  • This one is a fun challenge, and the best part is that you don’t even have to find new music to do it. Choose a number: 25, 50, 100, or more. Then, without repeating any artists/bands, choose songs that encapsulate your entire music taste. It’s hard, but so much fun. I’ve done it before with 100, (but I’m currently workshopping it because my music taste has expanded a lot since I first made it), and it took me a whole afternoon to decide what songs to choose.
  • EXAMPLE: “my taste in 100 songs”

BOOKS/MOVIES/SHOWS

  • If there is a story you love in any medium, make a playlist or ten about it. It’s so entertaining to make soundtracks for books/movies/shows you love, and this let’s you live in that fictional universe just a little while longer.
  • EXAMPLE: “Unhoneymooners”

EMOTIONS

  • This one is pretty self explanatory, just choose songs that make you feel things, and sort them into those emotions. Mitski and Conor Oberst make you sad? Put it in a playlist. Liz Phair makes music that fires you up? Angry playlist incoming. Bad Suns and Lily Allen make you feel like you’re floating? Time for a happy playlist.
  • EXAMPLE: “time to despair”

“BEST OF” PLAYLISTS

  • Love an artist or band but you just want to shuffle the parts of their discography that you like? “Best of” playlists are great for that, and super simple to make. No creativity required, just you, thirty minutes, and listening to your favorite songs by your bands determining what makes it into the list.
  • EXAMPLE: “riki loley”

GENRE

  • Only like ten pop-punk songs? Add them all to a playlist, so if you’re in the mood, you don’t have to go to the trouble of queueing them every time. 
  • EXAMPLE:  “Cowboy Era”

MASTER PLAYLIST OF A BUNCH OF ALBUMS

  • Sometimes it’s good to have everything in one place. So as you come across albums you love, add them into this playlist so you have one giant thing to shuffle. Organized chaos.

Hopefully this gave you some inspiration for playlists you can make that won’t result in you using the same 15 songs every time you make a playlist (trust me, I’ve been there).

Until next time,

Caitlin

Categories
Playlists

It’s Fall Y’all (September Edition)

Brown background image with red and orange leaves overlayed with text that reads "it's fall y'all" in the upper left hand corner and "88.1 WKNC" in the bottom left hand corner

September 22 marks the beginning of Fall, and a hallmark of the Autumn season every year for me is the music. I decided, in order to celebrate, that I would create a 15 song playlist for you all that is fall-oriented. Think: folk, bluegrass, melancholia, Elliott Smith, Mazzy Star, Dom Flemons and more. Not only that, but I will be adding to it in October and November as well, so expect 30 more songs where this came from. Happy Fall.

Without further ado, here is the first installment of “It’s Fall Y’all”: 

  • “Rose Parade” — Elliott Smith
  • “All Waters” — Perfume Genius
  • “Well-dressed” — Hop Along
  • “I’m A Dream Fighting Out Of A Man” — Luke De-Sciscio
  • “Oh Sarah”— Sturgill Simpson
  • “Someone Else’s Trees” — Fenne Lily
  • “Lonesome Old River Blues” — Dom Flemons
  • “Five String Serenade” — Mazzy Star
  • “Postman” — SLONK
  • “Apple Tree” — Marika Hackman
  • “Prove It” — Lala Lala
  • “Chesapeake” — Better Oblivion Community Center
  • “El Invento” — José González
  • “Strange Things Will Happen” — The Radio Dept.
  • “Irene” — Twin Peaks

If you love this season like I do, I encourage you to be your most unapologetic self and listen to this while walking around with your warm beverage of choice from your favorite coffee shop, observing the leaves change colors. 

As always, I’ve put this list into a Spotify playlist just for you guys.

Until next time,

Caitlin

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Playlists

If You Like “Punisher,” Then Listen To…

If you like Phoebe Bridgers

As you can guess by my frequent blogs mentioning her, I’m a frequent listener and pretty big fan of indie-rock star Phoebe Bridgers. My favorite of her multitude of works and collaborations is her sophomore album, “Punisher.” As she has risen to large notoriety over the last year and a half due in large part to “Punisher,’  there are a lot of newcomers to the folk/indie/rock scene who may like Phoebe Bridgers, but aren’t sure how to branch out.

I figured this phenomena would make “Punisher” the perfect subject for my “If you like… then listen to” series, as I feel Bridgers is a great jumping off point for listeners to go in many directions. If you’re unfamiliar, this series is where I curate a playlist for fans of a certain artist/album and recommend 15 songs by different artists that are similar to the subject.

Without further ado, here are the songs you should listen to if you love “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers.

  • “Brother” — Fenne Lily
  • “Cape Canaveral” — Conor Oberst
  • “Last Words of a Shooting Star” — Mitski
  • “I Think You’re Alright” — Jay Som
  • “Blue Coupe” — Twin Peaks
  • “Ruby Falls” — Waxahatchee
  • “One Too Many Mornings” — Bob Dylan
  • “Good Scare” — TORRES
  • “Latter Days” — Big Red Machine, Anaïs Mitchell
  • “Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud” — Elliott Smith
  • “Soapy Water” — Wolf Alice
  • “Animal Noises” — beabadoobee
  • “It Hurts Until It Doesn’t” — Mothers
  • “Pretending” — Orla Gartland 
  • “L.A. Dream” — Julia Jacklin

As always, I made a Spotify playlist for your consumption and enjoyment.

Be sure to check out my previous installments of “If you like… then listen to.”

Until next time,

Caitlin

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Playlists

“You Have A Match” by Emma Lord Book Review and Playlist

Cover of you have a match by Emma Lord

Another week, another book review. This time, it’s for “You Have A Match” by Emma Lord. This YA novel was released in January of 2021, and is a New York Times best-seller as well as a pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club. Once again, as I mentioned in my review of “Tweet Cute,” Lord is able to write modern characters and dialogue that rarely feel forced or out of touch. It’s a true gift she possesses, and I cannot wait to read what she releases next, as these are her only two novels out at the moment. 

“You Have A Match” centers around a high school girl named Abby who takes a DNA test to support her friend Leo, who is adopted, and taking the test in hopes of finding a family member. What Abby doesn’t expect is to find out that she has a fully-biological Instagram-famous older sister named Savannah (affectionately known as Savvy) living in the same area. Abby, not sure what to do with this secret, decides to not ask her parents about her long-lost sister, and instead (with encouragement from her newfound older sister) signs up for the same summer camp that Savvy is going to be a junior counselor at that summer. 

What Abby doesn’t realize is that Leo is also going to be at that summer camp, meaning that she needs to confront her more-than-friends feelings for him all the while trying to figure out what happened to make her parents give up Savvy for adoption.

A tale that confronts themes like low self-esteem, comparing oneself to others, skeletons in the closet, bad timing and being betrayed: Lord grounds her writing in the realities of being a young person in the 21st century.

As I did with my review of “The Unhoneymooners” I have curated a playlist that matches the themes of this wonderful novel, and I would love it if you checked it out. Below is a list of the songs but you can also find the playlist on my Spotify.

  • “Family Secret” — Bad Moves
  • “The Parent Trap” — Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands
  • “I Like (the idea of) You” — Tessa Violet
  • “Static / Habit” — ADDIE
  • “So Sorry” — Feist
  • “Love Is A Lonely Thing” — Kings of Convenience, Feist
  • “Prom Queen” — Beach Bunny
  • “Jealous” — Eyedress
  • “Stay Down” — boygenius
  • “Spectacular Views” — Rilo Kiley
  • “Sunset Lover” — Petit Biscuit
  • “Dear Friend,” — Dayglow
  • “Tears in the Typing Pool” — Broadcast
  • “Selfless” — The Strokes
  • “Just the Two of Us” — Grover Washington Jr., Bill Withers

Happy reading and listening,

Caitlin