Playlists To Get You Through The Week
While I’m interning at NPR I’m living with my Aunt and Uncle in Alexandria, which is about an hour long metro ride from NPR HQ in northeast DC. So I made a playlist of some songs that get me through the morning/evening commute. They all have a solid groove to them that transports me somewhere that’s not squished by a large man in a suit or smothered by someone’s backpack. Enjoy! – Blair Mitchell, Human Resources
Pink Matter- Frank Ocean ft. Andre 3000
I know I’m starting off with a little bit of philosophical and contemplative angst, but it’s my playlist and frankly I do what I want (pun intended). Frank’s falsetto and Dragon Ball Z references are perfect (PS: where are you Frank?) and of course Andre 3000’s brilliant guest verse makes me wish for a solo album every time I hear it.
2 Facts: 1. I love Erykah Badu. 2. I may or may not sing this to myself when I get on the metro every morning, because Ms. Badu knows the deal when she sings “Don’t want nobody next to me.” I might not get a window seat every day, but I’ll always have this song in my queue.
Blood Orange’s music is kind of undefinable, like, is it Alternative? Is it R&B? It’s not really even Alternative R&B to be honest. Whatever you call it; it makes me want to move in my seat and has a cool 70s vibe to it. Dev Hynes teams up with Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, another fave band of mine, and their voices blend together in the best way. Especially on they sing “I see you waiting for a guy/girl like me to come around” which adds a cool gender bending aspect to an already great song. Also, the steel drums make me feel like I’m on an island, which is another plus.
Magnets- Disclosure ft. Lorde
The dark seductive vibe of this song makes me want to close my eyes and lose myself in the rhythm. When Lorde sings “pretty girls don’t know the things that I know” I want to lock eyes with a stranger on the metro and give them a coy smirk. Of course I don’t do that, because the cardinal rule of public transportation is No. Eye. Contact. Ever. But it’s nice to pretend that I would for about four minutes.
I can never decide what I like best about this song, it’s either the twinkling synths or the line “no family is safe when I sashay” which is probably one of my favorite lyrics in anything ever and my personal mantra when maneuvering around slow walkers in order to transfer trains.
No playlist of mine is complete without Queen Bey. Fun Fact: this song was co-written and executive produced by Caroline Polachek who was heard earlier in this playlist. I love how this song is so different from a “typical” Beyoncé song, from her breathy vocals to the spacey production. I really like it because it reminds me a lot of something you’d hear Solange do, and it also just shows that Bey listens to and is influenced by a lot of different music.
Party Favors- Tinashe ft. Young Thug
This song really does transport me. I feel like it’s 2 am and I’m a dark smoky room at a basement party. The falsetto in the chorus is great and I love the beat. Also there’s a verse by Young Thug, even though I never know what he’s saying, this song is so good that I don’t even care.
Diamonds Dancing- Drake & Future
Separately, Drake and Future have taken over this year, so naturally they’d team up to collectively dominate. Diamonds Dancing is probably my favorite song off What a Time to be Alive. I can’t get enough of the beat and I too want to ball in the middle of the club with no jersey.
Angels- Chance the Rapper ft. Saba
It’s impossible for me not to be happy when listening to Chance and his newest doesn’t disappoint. The horns always brighten my day and wake me up if I’m drifting off on the train.
The minimal beat lets Kelela’s amazing voice shine without distracting from it. Also: the music video is super cool and definitely worth a watch.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/m4-9mYrbXVI
First things First: Syd’s falsetto is everything. The Internet is definitely my favorite member of the Odd Future extended family. They played a tiny desk concert early on in the semester much to my delight because I’ve been obnoxiously recommending their new album, Ego Death, to everyone in my life. The bass line on this song makes me want to move my whole body. It may just be my favorite song off of one of my favorite albums this year.
FKA twigs is such a cool artist, her music disregards genres and spans them without a care in the world. She also embraces the weird, whether it’s in her videos (which are always super cool) or her music. Her voice quickly goes from ethereal to harsh and it works beautifully.
The soothing sounds of Ibeyi help me center myself and take a deep breath before I start my day. The two sisters harmonize and make their voices into one. They wind around each other so effortlessly and the overall effect is calming but never boring.
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