Celebrity Playlist

I want to try and not talk too much about how amazing Apple products are. However, there is a point and time when I have to.

Being an avid music purchaser, I am constantly on the lookout for new unique ways of playing the same 12 notes. My drug of choice for streamlining this matter is Itunes. I am able to listen to new releases, staff favorites, what’s hot, albums that are new to Itunes and even my favorite — celebrity playlists.

Nothing beats having someone who is as into music as much as I am tell me precisely what it is about their songs that make them tick. To make it even better, the person explaining their secrets favorites to me is someone that I enjoy knowing about.

Celebrities ranging from actor Alan Cumming to guitarist Tom Morello have been featured on Itunes Celebrity Playlists.

A few of my favorites have been Jason Bateman, Ellen Page, Jim Carey, Thom Yorke, Danny Elfman and even Liv Tyler. These lists have everything from explanations like, “I don’t know why, I just can’t help myself,” to more in-depth reasonings that are far too perfect not to know about.

So my blog for you this week is my celebrity playlist… I mean, you are reading my blog, and if you didn’t know, my head is a little too big for me to even type this blog. So there!

Beck – “Missing” So I want you to put this on your Ipod and go for a walk. Trust me, it will feel like you are in a music video. This song has the coolest groove, and it always reminded me of a summer walk.

Black Light Burns – “The Mark” How the hell does one get a guitar to sound like chains falling on concrete? Nevertheless, this song makes me want to be creepy Wes Borland. Just for a few minutes so I could be all dark and sinister and watch the world burn down.

Bloc Party – “Song for Clay (Disappear Here)” Stand up and do something heroic. Be unique and above ordinary and let the world know who you are, and while you’re at it, work on that English accent.

Brand New – “Luca” The first time I ever heard this song, I was driving alone on the highway late one night. Slightly filled with frustration, confusion and driving way too fast, these lyrics meant the world to my situation. “So touch me or don't, just let me know where you've been.”

CKY – “Rio Bravo” Such an undeniably cool guitar riff should never go unnoticed. “Rio Bravo,” off CKY’s first CD, seems to get lost in the mix of incredible tunes. Fuzzy distorted guitars, bass and vocals make this late-’70s-sounding dirge rock song an instant classic in my book.

Coheed and Cambria – “Ten Speed (Of God’s Blood & Burial) Way too many cool things to even tell you about here. So dam poppy and catchy, but still so metal. Plus, it is pretty badass when he says “burial” at the end of the song. I am all fired up just thinking about it.

Downtown Harvest – “Four Hundo” A great Philly-based band that everyone MUST see at some point. This song is very New Orleans-sounding with the piano, gritty vocals, sax and great slow-anthem chorus: “I’m home, so be my friend and we’ll get it together.”

Magnet – “The Day We Left Town” A humble musician from Norway seems to be one of the best composers I have ever heard. From the quiet old ’40s black-and-white movie music in the beginning to the largest wall of sound I’ve heard since the Deftones wrote “Be Quiet and Drive.” Lyrically, it is all about starting over, and I hope that you are able to begin listening to music differently after hearing this beautiful song.

I have plenty more to share with you, but I think that this is quite a good start. Go and buy new music. Challenge yourself musically — it will be worth it. Oh, and let me know how it goes.



Steve