Playlist of the Week #4: Beginning of Summer Edition

Summer break has started for most colleges, it is starting up for high school soon, and what else is there to do during the summer other than read my blog and listen to music.  So here is a playlist for anyone bored this summer looking to listen to a few summer jams.  This playlist is not for adults that aren't going to be on any sort of break.  Go to your jobs so the rest of us can have fun, you don't get to listen to music!


1. 'Change Your Life' by Iggy Azalea feat. T.I.

You should listen to it because: You're thinking about how the biggest name in rap at the moment is a white girl from Australia.

2. 'Heroes' by David Bowie

You should listen to it because: You're driving around alone on a summer night with your windows down and self-esteem also very down.

3. 'Skeleton' by The Front Bottoms

You should listen to it because: You're skating on roller blades down the boardwalk with a jukebox on your shoulder.  Don't ask me why that's what this song makes me think of, it just does.

4. 'Forever' by HAIM

You should listen to it because: You're at the beach.  This is gonna be y'alls beach song this summer.  Unless you live in the middle of the US, then I don't know?  A river?  Move to a coast.

5. 'Walk of Life' by Dire Straits

You should listen to it because: You need a song to put in your end of the summer photo montage or flipagram if people are still doing those.

6. 'Ain't It Fun' by Paramore

You should listen to it because: It's one of the few songs that's popular on the radio right now that you don't have to be embarrassed about.  Unless you're a dude.  But I don't care I love it.

7. 'America The Beautiful' by Ray Charles

You should listen to it because: In America you can go watch people hit balls with big pieces of wood while you're eating a meat stick that's covered in cheese, sauerkraut, relish, mustard, ketchup, onions, and chili.  So be proud of that (if you live in America, otherwise skip ahead).

8. 'Crimson and Clover' by Tommy James and the Shondells

You should listen to it because: It'll make you feel like you're at a beach party in a 1960's movie.

9. 'Freedom' by Rage Against the Machine

You should listen to it because: You're so happy about being free from school work that it makes you just really angry and intense.  Go ahead, punch some things.

10. 'Grown Up' by Danny Brown

You should listen to it because: You're winding down with your friends at the end of a party and you're doing all of your drugs that you have.

In All Seriousness:

1. 'Change Your Life'

2. 'Heroes'

3. 'Skeleton'

4. 'Forever'

5. 'Walk of Life'

6. 'Ain't It Fun'

7. 'America the Beautiful'

8. 'Crimson and Clover'

9. 'Freedom'

10. 'Grown Up'

~Ryan Moncrief

Playlist of the Week #3: New Years Edition

New Year's is coming up!  We all need some good music to listen to at your New Years Parties.  Why not put these very different songs on your playlist and watch people complain about your DJing!?

1. 'See Me Now' by Kanye West feat. Beyonce, Charlie Wilson, and Big Sean

You should listen to it if: You're 9 Jello shots in, because that's the only time you'll think your rendition of the Beyonce part is good.

2. 'If I Had a Tail' by Queens of the Stone Age

You should listen to it if: You're making a workout playlist for the 2 weeks that you're going to participate in your "Go to the Gym" New Year's Resolution.

3. 'Ladies of Cambridge' by Vampire Weekend

You should listen to it if: You and your friends are sipping a fancy Italian wine and eating an assortment of aged cheeses that can only be enhanced by some sophisticated, well-crafted lyrics.

4. 'Only the Good Die Young' by Billy Joel

You should listen to it if: You're at a New Year's party and the average age of people is 41.

5. 'Poetic Justice' by Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake

You should listen to it if: You want a song to put that cute girl across the room in the mood to be swooned by your smooth moves.  You got this...oh wait that's a chair.  Maybe it's time to call it a night.

6. 'Video Games' by Lana Del Rey

You should listen to it if: You're spending New Year's with a case of Mountain Dew Voltage, a bean bag chair, and your Xbox One.

7. 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' by Meat Loaf

You should listen to it if: See 'Only the Good Die Young'.

8. 'Love Game' by Eminem feat. Kendrick Lamar

You should listen to it if: You're drunkenly talking about why you're single and how 2014 is going to be THE YEAR that you find someone for you.

In All Seriousness:

1. 'See Me Now'

Most songs with Beyonce on the hook are gonna be pretty great.  This is the bonus song on Kanye's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy which is one of my favorite albums of all-time.

2. 'If I Had a Tail'

This song gets me pumped up when the opening guitar riff comes on.  I can see myself using this in a movie or video sometime for sure.

3. 'Ladies of Cambridge'

One of Vampire Weekend's best songs when I saw them live this year.  They're my favorite band so that's high praise yo.

4. 'Only the Good Die Young'

This song is a jam and a half.  If you're not singing along to this song every time it comes on then you're crazy.  Or you don't know the lyrics.

5. 'Poetic Justice'

This year I became a fan of Kendrick Lamar, and he's impressed me a lot with all of the stuff he's done so far.  This is one of my favorites from his most recent album.

6. 'Video Games'

Lana has such a cool, mellow voice.  I'm a big fan of her music, it's very calming.  This is one of my favorites by her.

7. 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light'

This is a REALLY long song, but it's an awesome song to listen to at a party or in the car.  It has 2 parts and both are equally good.

8. 'Love Game'

By far my favorite song off of Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2.  The lyrics are great, and the beat is a little different from the usual Eminem or Kendrick Lamar songs, but I love it.

~Ryan

Playlist of the Week #2: Finals Week Edition

I think I forgot to do this last week because I was swamped with work since the end of the semester is here.  And now that it's Finals week, I figured I'd distract myself by writing a blog post, which in turn will cause all of my friends to become distracted from their finals because they all read my blog posts.  Right?  RIGHT!?

1. 'Simple Song' by The Shins

You should listen to it if: You just need something simple to listen to while you're trying to bang out a 10-page paper on the anatomy of bearded pigs.

2. 'Temple' by Kings of Leon

You should listen to it if: Finals are making you want to shoot yourself in the temple.

3. 'Over Seasons' by Authority Zero

You should listen to it if: You want to learn how to sing as fast as this song instead of researching Hamlet for your Play Analysis Final.

4. 'R.I.P.' by Childish Gambino

You should listen to it if: You're considering death as an option rather than reading all of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man in one night because you decided not to flip past the first page all semester.

5. 'Foreplay/Long Time' by Boston

You should listen to it if: You're one of those kids who doesn't have any finals and you have time to listen to an 8 minute song.

6. 'I'm In It' by Kanye West

You should listen to it if: You're in it.  And by it I mean in a state of panic and depression due to finals that only binge eating spoonfuls of Nutella can cure.

7. 'The Scientist' by Coldplay

You should listen to it if: You think you're gonna ace your Chemistry final tomorrow.  Hey guess what?  You're not.

8. 'Levon' by Elton John

You should listen to it if: You need a song to fall asleep to as you lay on top of your peppermint hot chocolate soaked Anthropology notes.

In All Seriousness:

1. 'Simple Song'

I fell in love with this song when the creators of How I Met Your Mother geniusly used it in the finale of last season.  This song gets intense and gives you chills when his voice gets really high.

2. 'Temple'

Kings of Leon played this song on SNL this past weekend, and it's an awesome song.  Kings of Leon changes their sound a little bit with each album, and I like it.

3. 'Over Seasons'

My roommate Frank got me into this song.  It's just really fun and impossible not to bop your head to.

4. 'R.I.P.'

This is potentially my favorite Childish Gambino song.  Those who know me well will know that Childish Gambino is my favorite rapper, so needless to say this song gets high praise from me.  Also I love the use of Kavinsky's Nightcall as the hook.

5. 'Foreplay/Long Time'

This song is relatively long, but flies by every time I listen to it.  The guitar solo of Foreplay and then the smooth falsetto of Long Time just really does it for me.  Gotta have that falsetto baby.

6. 'I'm In It'

I didn't like Yeezus very much at first, but after additional listens it grew on me.  This is one of my favorite songs on the album, also any song with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon is something I can get down with.  My friend and one of my roommates here at Hofstra University, Reed, wrote a good blog post about his experience front row at a recent Kanye concert on his blog here.

7. 'The Scientist'

I love Coldplay and this is my favorite song by them.  Lyrically and musically just a really great song.

8. 'Levon'

Elton John will always be a favorite of mine.  This song I feel like is not one of his most known songs, but it should be.

~Ryan Moncrief

Playlist of the Week #1: Burnt Up

This is a new weekly feature I'm introducing today.  Once a week towards the end of the week I'm going to post a short playlist of songs that I've been listening to over the week and would like other people to listen to.  So here's the first one.

1. 'The Wire' by HAIM

You should listen to it if: You're a cool mom, or you want to try to be.

2. 'Ms. Jackson' by Outkast

You should listen to it if: You made someone's daughter cry, and you're sorry about it...woooooo.

3. 'Slow Motion (Live)' performed by Panic! At the Disco, originally by Third Eye Blind

You should listen to it if: You like messed up lyrics, and want to re-live your middle school days of loving Panic! At the Disco.

4. 'Bulls on Parade' by Rage Against the Machine

You should listen to it if: You're angrier than a kid who just found out his dad made a Twitter.

5. 'Dirty Paws' by Of Monsters and Men

You should listen to it if: You're running in slow motion on a college campus or city street.

6. 'Burnin' Up' by The Jonas Brothers

You should listen to it if: You're a human being and you like music (Everyone).

7. 'Summer Love' by Justin Timberlake

You should listen to it if: You have some pants that are in need of being danced off.

8. 'Tangerine' by Led Zeppelin

You should listen to it if: You want to stick it to all of those loser orange and grapefruit fans out there.

In All Seriousness:

1. 'The Wire'

After hearing HAIM perform this song on SNL I became a big fan of them and this song.  Looking forward to what this cool group of ladies will do in the future.

2. 'Ms. Jackson'

One of my favorite rap groups of all-time, and probably their most popular song (other than Hey Ya).  This song is a jam, and it's nice to re-discover some of the jams that you used to love every now and again.

3. 'Slow Motion (Live)'

My roommate Frank showed me this cover by Panic! at the Disco.  I immediately loved it and have been replaying it a lot recently.  It's not only a good cover, but an excellent live performance as well.

4. 'Bulls on Parade'

This is my favorite Rage Against the Machine song.  Really intense, and always a go-to workout song for me.  But since I haven't seen the inside of a gym in months, I listen to it while I do other things instead.

5. 'Dirty Paws'

Discovered this song in the first trailer for the film 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.'  It works really well for that trailer, and is an excellent song if you're looking for something calm and relaxing.

6. 'Burnin' Up'

Yeah I was serious about this song.  This is one of my favorite guilty pleasure songs, and I have no shame in stating how much I enjoy it.  RIP Jo Bros.

7. 'Summer Love'

If you hear this song and don't want to dance or have a Grease-like summer fling than you are an actual crazy person.  One of my favorite songs from an artist I enjoy thoroughly.

8. 'Tangerine'

Led Zeppelin is easily a band I wish I was able to go back in time to see.  This song has been getting a solid amount of plays from me recently.  Fantastic vocals, and some of Page's best guitar work in my opinion.

~Ryan Moncrief