Summer Playlist
Call me crazy, but this unbearable heat really makes me miss Chicago’s snowy winters. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying the short summer season, but the heat can be a bit too much. In any event, I do love a good summer playlist. A few days ago I signed up for Spotify, whose US launch I have been anxiously awaiting, and began working on an ideal summer playlist.
While I’m still getting used to the service and the features, I am loving the ease and availability of my favorite artists and songs right at my finger tips. I call this my summer playlist, but I love these songs during any season. A good mix of genres and a couple of dance tunes, I tried to keep it as light as possible. If you download, I hope you enjoy!
Track List:
- Paradise Circus–Massive Attack
- Little Bit–Lykke Li
- Why–Donna Regina
- Elephant Woman–Blonde Redhead
- 20 Dollar–M.I.A.
- I Wanna Be Your Lover–Prince
- Dark Fantasy–Kanye West
- Electric Feel–MGMT
- Since I Left You–The Avalanches
- Satin Chic–Goldfrapp
- Karma Police–Rockabye Baby!
- I Don’t Know Why–Stevie Wonder
- Sinnerman–Nina Simone
- How I Got Over–The Roots
- Oh Yeah–Daft Punk
- Summertime–Nina Simone
- Teachers–Daft Punk
- MoneyGrabber–Fitz and the Tantrums
- Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix)–Sia
Download my 2011 Summer Playlist
Still looking for a Spotify invite? I still have three invitations left! Send me an email or comment and let me know if you would like one!
Welcome to her world:My Janelle Monae live show experience.
Words to describe a Janelle Monae show? An experience.
I’ve written about my admiration of Ms. Monae’s style here before and I’ve also written how inspiring her music is. So you know I was beyond psyched when I found out she was coming to Chicago to perform at Chicago’s legendary Schubas Tavern.
It was about 9:45 when Ms. Monae appeared on stage in a hooded cape. The sold out crowd was welcomed to her universe and reminded by an announcer that the time for tweeting and status updates on Facebook was over. After that, Janelle Monae sang , danced and worked the crowd the entire night. Most of the songs she performed were from her upcoming album, The Archandroid, including Tightrope and Cold War (my favorite).
And everyone? If Janelle Monae is coming to your town, I’d definitely suggest checking her out. I can almost guarantee that you will dance and have a good time.
Here are some more pics from the awesome night*. Although I was beyond exhausted (I’m finally grasping the fact that I’m no longer the night owl I used to be), I still went to sleep with a huge smile on my face.
*Major thanks to my friend, Cicely, for taking the pictures since I’m such a small fry.
Channeling Corinne Bailey Rae
If you follow me on Twitter, then you might have noticed a couple of my tweets written about Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, The Sea. I admit, I was only a casual fan of her past music, liking a few songs here and there. I remember when the horrible news of her husband’s death broke and my heart went out to her.All was quiet for about a year after that, and then I heard she was coming out with a new album.I started reading a few of her interviews after she broke her silence and she sounded pretty upbeat, if not nervous.
I was apprehensive about checking out her new CD, because I wasn’t sure if it would be too dark–not that there is anything wrong with that– but it just isn’t what I’m looking for at the moment. However, I am pleasantly surprised. I believe I’ve listened to her new album almost three times without skipping a song. It’s not a dark album. There is a sense of intimacy and vagueness in many of her songs. A quote from her interview with the Telegraph is a very accurate way to describe the feelings:
“There are feelings that I found hard to explain; words are insufficient. Tenses I find really difficult. How do you refer to now? How do you refer to somebody that has been but you don’t want to put an end on it? That was difficult. Similarly, with Are You Here, it’s a question and a statement at the same time.”
My listening experience was very smooth and soothing. And there are definitely more upbeat tunes, but not “club dancing” upbeat. Instead, they are more for grooving in your chair or moving your head from side to side. Ms. Bailey Rae has turned me into a solid fan with this new album. I definitely see a long career for her and I hope she continues to churn out the good music–because Lord knows we all need it these days.
P.S. On a shallow note, I’m also in love with her hair. The big, poofy curly hair is my newest hair obsession. During my last trip to my hairstylist, we tried to duplicate the look. Usually, I just have her flat iron my hair straight, and I was ready to do it during this visit. Then I remembered Corinne’s style. I told her and we were racing on our Iphone and Blackberry trying to find pictures of exactly what it looks like, because she had not seen her lately. My stylist went to work, but unfortunately, it was too straight and whatever curls I had fell in the rain. I’ve passively tried channeling her style when I do my hair at home, but I don’t think I’ve really gotten it down:
What do you think? No? Yeah, me either.
Music Makes the World Go Round
There are a lot of outside influences that can affect the way we dress. I’d say one of the biggest things is music. love, no really, I love music and in many ways, music is always intertwined with my life. Music and fashion for me, can easily go together as a confluence of style and self-expression as in my opinion.The type of music that I listen to influences my style choices and my style choices impact the type of music that I’m in the mood for, respectively.
Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of soft, soulful music, with a bit of “offbeat” thrown in: Aretha Franklin, Sia, Janelle Monae, Feist and old Lauryn Hill come to mind. Some of the songs are heavy and dark; which is kind of how I imagine a fall mood would be. Here are three songs that have influenced my style and three Polyvore sets that I think pairs perfectly with them:
[watch?v=H6_BWNzThJY]
Nina Simone “Sinnerman” is one of my favorite songs of all time. Ms. Simone’s deep voice is so highly emotional and brings me into a trance whenever I hear it.
[watch?v=ZK4SUof_yv8]
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Heads Will Roll”. This song always makes me want to get out of my seat and dance. It’s perfect to listen to if you’re getting ready to go out for a night of clubbing or drinks with the friends. Pure fun.
[watch?v=qRyPL1Jh3EY]
Colleagues introduced me to this song last year and I haven’t stopped playing it since.The bittersweet nature of this torch song gets to me every time. I love listening to this song with a glass of wine and while I’m putting on my makeup or getting ready to put on my most dressy outfits. I always feel like there is a romantic element to my outfits whenever I listen to this song while getting dressed.
Sunday Musings
It’s a lazy day for me and I’m on my way to a ball game, so I thought I’d leave with some musings:
What I’m Reading: In the Woods by Tana French. It’s our current book club selection and I have until Monday to read all 400 something pages. I started on Friday evening and now I’m on page 155.
Listening To: Lots of “fun” music. M.I.A., Santigold, and “Bitches–Hood Internet Remix” by My Gold Mask, a band from Chicago.
What I Want: Every summer I go through the pain of looking at the other cool girls riding their bikes through the city. Unfortunately, my apartment space barely has room for me, let alone a bike, so I just keep on dreaming of what it seems never will be: riding my bike while wearing Vivienne Westwood+Melissa heels:
What I Do Have: I don’t think any summer is complete without a nice, cold cup of gelato:
Happy lazy Sunday!
Image Source: The Sartorialist, Foodista’s Blog
R.I.P to the King of Pop
Another post where I will veer off of the fashion/beauty talk for a second. Yes, this is a tribute to Michael Jackson post. I’d actually gone back and forth about writing a tribute post since others have eloquently written on this subject matter.  However, I thought it would be quite fitting since I can say that Michael Jackson was one of my first introductions to music.
I was born shortly after the release of Thriller and the now groundbreaking Motown 25th Anniversary show where Michael showcased his moonwalk for the 1st time.  Some of my earliest memories include me trying to imitate the dance at the end of the “Beat It” video–I never could get through “Thriller” until I was older.
When Bad came out, I was a little bit older and I remember my dad taping all of the music videos on his Betamax (we were old school) and him showing me how slick and smooth MJ was in “The Way You Make Me Feel” video. Â Once again, I was in awe of the moves from the “Smooth Criminal” video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WjOn5TNjBM&feature=fvst]
And when “Dangerous” came out, my dad bought two cassette tapes–one for me and one for him, because he knew we wouldn’t share. I played that tape out until it was broken.  The music videos, like “Black or White” and “Remember the Time” were full scale productions and the premieres were treated as such.  We’d be abuzz in class the day after the premiere about seeing the videos and how cool this move or that move was.
And I still liked his later music from his HIStory and Invincible album.  Plus, his Off the Wall album and Jackson 5 songs were always mainstays in the home. I’d listen to my mom’s “Off the Wall” record and dance by myself in my room as if I were at a disco on a Friday night. Good times, indeed.
Last night, I went with a couple of friends to a small memorial at Johnson Publishing Company, the home of Ebony and Jet magazine. It was a small group, but there was singing and Johnson Publishing hung their Ebony and Jet poster-sized covers in their windows:
So I will not only bid adieu to Michael Jackson, but to a part of my childhood that I will always remember from listening to his music. From trying to pop-lock in my yard with my friends to anxiously waiting for his video premieres.  I’m glad that I grew up in that generation to know what good pop music really, truly is. I can look back fondly of those memories of his music and the influence it had on me.
R.I.P Michael.
I like her style
Kid Sister. She hails from Chicago and is pretty new and fresh to the rap scene. If you want to get technical, her style of music would be labeled as “club rap”. Catchy and fun tunes meant to keep your head moving. I first heard her song “Pro Nails” featuring Kanye West over a year ago and I’m anxious to hear her album Dream Date, which drops in January. Plus, I like her style. Lots of bright colors for clothing and makeup.  Plus, her nails are always on point.
Here are some more pics of Kid Sister:
My Instagram
