One of my duties as Artistic Director for the Undergrad Show is to put together music for pre-show/intermission. This was one of my favorite parts of the job, as I LOVE LOVE LOVE putting together playlists!! The Undergrad Show is full of quirky, diverse works, so I decided to model the playlist after that, building it around a fabulous cover of T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" by Anya Marina. I peppered some other quirky cover songs in there as well. I think it turned out pretty great!
1. Duncan Sheik--"There Once Was A Pirate"
2. Magnet--"The Gospel Song"
3. Blind Uncle Gaspard--"Assi Dans La Fenetre De Ma Chambre"
4. Gogol Bordello--"Start Wearing Purple"
5. Anya Marina--"Whatever You Like"
6. Amy Winehouse--"Back to Black"
7. Yael Naim--"Toxic"
8. Sparks--"Suburban Homeboy"
9. Kate Nash--"Mouthwash"
10. The Bird and the Bee--"My Love"
11. Alanis Morrissette--"Citizen of the Planet"
12. The Rolling Stones--"Laugh, I Nearly Died"
13. Taken By Trees--"Sweet Child O' Mine"
14. The Andrews Sisters--"Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen"
15. The Roaring Girl Cabaret--"Passion Play" (I could not find this on YouTube, unfortunately, so it is not on the playlist below.)
16. Florence + the Machine--"Dog Days Are Over"
17. Amy Winehouse--"Someone to Watch Over Me"
18. Leonard Nimoy--"Highly Illogical"
19. The Puppini Sisters--"Walk Like An Egyptian"
20. The Dresden Dolls--"Coin Operated Boy"
21. Helen Kane--"I Wanna Be Loved By You"
22. Ani Difranco--"Here For Now"
23. April March--"Chick Habit"
24. Rufus Wainwright--"Between My Legs"
25. Yeah Yeah Yeahs--"Gold Lion (Live Acoustic)"
26. Lenka--"Trouble is a Friend"
27. Jessie J--"Sexy Silk"
28. Crooked Still--"Ain't No Grave"
29. Massive Attack--"Teardrop"
30. Kanye West--"Street Lights"
31. The Velvet Underground--"I'm Sticking With You"
32. Britney Spears--"Piece of Me"
33. The Pierces--"Secret"
34. The Roaring Girl Cabaret--"L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle" (I could not find this on YouTube, unfortunately, so it is not on the playlist below.)
35. M.I.A.--"Paper Planes"
36. Metric--"Black Sheep"
37. Eileen--"Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher"
38. The Dresden Dolls--"Mandy Goes to Med School"
As I mentioned before, I love idiosyncratic versions of classic Christmas songs. I thought I'd compile them and share...in the spirit of the holidays, y'know. All these songs just feel like Christmas to me. Enjoy!
Every year for Christmas, my family does a gift exchange where we draw one name from a hat and shop for that person (my family is HUGE so this system is a must). Last year, I got one of my brothers who is very difficult to shop for because he has everything. I racked my brain for an idea, then had a stroke of genius. A Movie Night Kit! I bought him Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Inception, then added in popcorn and Raisinettes (the store was out of Red Vines, otherwise I would've added that in, too) and topped it all off with an epic mix CD of songs from a myriad of different movies. I scoured my favorite movies for more unorthodox music choices instead of just putting cliched movie songs like "My Heart Will Go On" on there. I love how this mix turned out, so I thought I'd share it. And if you're ever stumped about what to get someone, the movie night thing is a fun, low-stress idea. :)
1) Nickel Creek--"Scotch and Chocolate"
I listen to pretty much anything by Nickel Creek during autumn, but this is one of my favorites. And this video was apparently one of their last unplugged sessions before they broke up. TOO MUCH AMAZING, seriously. I love watching musicians who are so genuinely skilled like this.
2) Nickel Creek--"When in Rome"
My requisite autumn song. Plus they all look like a buncha studs in this video.
3) Anything by The Roaring Girl Cabaret
She rocks! And her music is delicious. I particularly enjoy "Passion Play" (lots of Shakespeare references!), "Sweet By and By," and her cover of "L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle" from Carmen.
4) Temper Trap--"Sweet Disposition"
They're like a slightly more indie sounding U2. I first heard this song in (500) Days of Summer and discovered last year that it's a perfect autumn song.
5) Amy Winehouse--"Someone To Watch Over Me"
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover. There's something about the classic Gershwin song mixed with Amy's petulant, smoky voice that makes my heart go pitter-pat.
6) Wolfmother--"Vagabond"
This is a great summer-into-fall song. There's something about it that makes me feel like the seasons are changing. And I love the beat! This was another song I discovered through (500) Days of Summer.
7) The Chieftains f/Nickel Creek--"The Raggle Taggle Gypsy"
Irish music + bluegrass = MMMMMMM! The Chieftains are another band that's made up of such genuinely skilled musicians that it's hypnotizing to watch. So pairing them up with like Nickel Creek naturally brings the house down.
8) Allison Krauss & Robert Plant--"Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us"
Love love love this haunting song. Fun fact: it was originally by Sam Phillips, who did the music for Gilmore Girls! I love her version of the song as well. Both are very autumn-y.
9) Garrison Keillor & Meryl Streep (From the A Prairie Home Companion soundtrack)--"Gold Watch and Chain"
I am not a huge fan of the Prairie Home Companion radio show (I always come in during the middle and never have any clue what's going on), but for some reason I adore the movie. It's full of great music, but this song is particularly charming.
10) John Tsifliklis & His band (From the My Big Fat Greek Wedding soundtrack)--"Οραία Που Είναι η Νύφη Μας"
Autumn makes me think of many things, one of them being the annual Greek Festival in Tucson! I haven't been able to go for the past couple of years, which makes me sad. But luckily I still have incredible Greek music to keep me company instead.
I lovelovelove Patsy Cline. And I love listening to and singing along with her music, particularly in the morning or while driving. She gets me. (Plus her outfits are beyond fabulous.)
I knew you'd love me as long as you wanted,
and then someday you'd leave me for somebody new.
I understand that Amy Winehouse had a lot of problems. She drank heavily and did drugs, she was belligerent, she was an addict. And I understand that there are a myriad of ugly things happening around the world that we should be concerned about and that something like a celebrity death may seem trivial in comparison. I understand all that. But I don't give a damn. She was one of my all-time favorite singers...I can't describe how much her music has meant to me. And despite her problems, she did NOT deserve to die. No one deserves that. I'm sick of hearing shit like that, how "if you play with fire you'll get burnt," "she shouldn't have said no to rehab, heh heh heh" and so on. This is like my Kurt Cobain, and I don't feel bad about grieving for her. I loved her music. Her voice and her lyrics helped me through a whole lot, and I'm so sad that she'll never release another incredible album. Rest in Peace, crazy girl. I love you.
Bring wings to the weak and bring grace to the strong
May all evil stumble as it flies in the world.
All the tribes come and the mighty will crumble
We must brave this night and have faith in love.
I first heard the term "Sad Bastard Music" from Kay, by way of Jack Black in High Fidelity. It's such a perfect description of my favorite weepy, melancholy songs that it's become part of my permanent lexicon ever since. While I have an incredibly vast collection of Sad Bastard Music, these are the songs I've been listening to recently; in the past week or so. I think I'll definitely do another post at some point that documents my all-time favorite Sad Bastard songs another day, because some songs are just must-haves. Below the batch of videos is my commentary on each song.
So here we go...
Katy's CURRENT Playlist of Sad Bastard Music, in no particular order:
1) Lady Gaga--"Speechless"
Not only is this a current favorite Sad Bastard song, it's also currently one of my favorite songs to belt in the car. I usually sing it at least once a day...if only I could use it as an audition song! This particular version is my absolute favorite live performance of it. First of all, I think she looks so beautiful here. Her dress is incredible, her makeup is classic and flawless, and she's wearing my favorite version of her hair bow. It's like a perfect balance of classic glamour and her signature outrageous, avant garde style. And secondly, I love the stripped down, raw way she sings the song. "Speechless" is a great example of how talented Lady Gaga actually is, because she's great at campy ballads as well as catchy pop/dance songs. I really wish she'd put out an album of just her on solo piano, that would make my life! Other great performances of "Speechless," in my opinion, include her performance on Ellen and the one from the AMAs where she breaks bottles (both of these performances can be found on YouTube as well).
2) Ingrid Michaelson--"Turn to Stone"
I bought this song off of iTunes a long time ago, but forgot about it until I rewatched season 5 of Grey's Anatomy this week and now I'm obsessed. (It's featured in episode #5.21: "What A Difference A Day Makes.") Ingrid Michaelson writes beautiful ballads, and this one is a perfect mix of simple, beautiful piano lilting which builds into epic explosions of rich sound. Sighhh.
3) Dresden Dolls--"Delilah" (Performed in this video by Amanda Palmer only.)
WOW. Talk about a song that makes me dissolve within seconds of the opening lines. Devastating lyrics, vocals, music, everything...I cry like a little girl. "And you thought you could change his mind / by changing your perfume / to the kind his mother wore..." AHH. Really, Amanda Palmer? Why don't you just stab me in the heart. I would really love to choreograph a solo to it using the whole song, but I can't figure out any movement that's good enough for it.
4) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club--"Feel It Now"
I first heard this song a long time ago in an episode of Bones from season one (#1.12: "The Superhero in the Alley"). I recently rediscovered it when listening to an old mix a couple weeks ago. I love the sad, simple lyrics, gorgeous piano, and his neo-classic rock voice. "I turn myself into an angel, I run myself into the ground." Gahh.
5) Evelyn Evelyn--"Evelyn Evelyn"
There's all this controversy surrounding Evelyn Evelyn, the side project with Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, but my response to that is a whole other entry. The point is: I love them and I love love love this song. It's extremely intense but sort of airy and ethereal at the same time, with this underlying creepy music box/circus vibe to it. Lovvve.
6) Lady Gaga--"Brown Eyes"
Another great example of Lady Gaga's talent for soulful ballads and passionate vocals.
7) Rufus Wainwright--"Zebulon"
"I'm in love, but let's not talk about it..." Oh, Rufus. No one does morose quite like him. His newest album, All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu, is just him and his piano and is SO beautiful that it doesn't even seem real. I saw him live last fall (and MET him!) and felt the same way about his concert, which was just him and a piano. Indescribably beautiful. This song is absolutely devastating, as are my other favorites from the album which I couldn't find video for: "Sad With What I Have" and "Who Are You, New York?" Seriously, just buy the album. You won't be disappointed.
8) Jane Monheit--"A Case of You"
Steve got me into Jane Monheit when we first started dating. She is so ridiculously talented, it's absurd. Of course I love the original Joni version of "A Case of You," but I have an obsession with cover songs and collect them. Especially when they're flawless like this one. K.d. Lang also does an incredible cover of it on her Hymns of the 49th Parallel album and I've been listening to her version a lot recently as well. Another Jane Monheit song that's on my current Sad Bastard playlist is her rendition of "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most." It's perfect.
9) Susanna and the Magical Orchestra--"Love Will Tear Us Apart"
When it comes to Sad Bastard Music, you can't go wrong with "Love Will Tear Us Apart," which is why there are two different covers of it on my current playlist. I mentioned Susanna and the Magical Orchestra in my last entry, and here's an example of her epic moroseness! I've also been listening to her equally morose, melodic covers of "These Days" and "Enjoy the Silence." Once I get sick of these covers, I definitely want to hear more of her original songs.
10) Evelyn Evelyn--"Love Will Tear Us Apart"
When I first heard this, I honestly didn't recognize Amanda Palmer's voice and thought that it was a guest vocalist. I'd never heard her go this whispery and subdued before! But I love it. Jason Webley is equally gorgeous on this cover as well. And they accompany themselves on a damn ukulele! I love morose songs that are combined with calm ukulele strumming; it adds this perfect bit of camp to it (another great example of this is Ingrid Michaelson's cover of "Creep" in which she uses a ukulele as well).
11) Lisbeth Scott w/ Nathan Barr--"Take Me Home (Pie Cry Remix)"
Ho-ly Hell. What an incredible song! I recently rewatched season one of True Blood, and couldn't believe that I didn't own this song already. It is so, so, so beautiful I can't even take it! And of course this scene is just devastating if you've seen it in the context of the show, which adds to the song's sad beauty. I'm dying to choreograph to this. I can just see dancers all in white.
12) Sara Melson--"Feel It Coming"
This song is a little more upbeat, but still has that great Sad Bastard lyrical quality that I love. Plus it's played at the very end of a particularly sad Grey's Anatomy episode (#4.10: "Crash Into Me, Part II") so I associate it with that. But it also makes me smile, too, because I think of Meredith, Cristina and Lexie's nerdy drunken dance party. (See the scene HERE. It doesn't really contain any major spoilers.) I'm curious to hear more from Sara Melson.
Enjoy. :)
"Raise a glass to mend all the broken hearts
of all my wrecked-up friends."
--Lady Gaga, Speechless
