Sounds of Summer

Even before I read Melinda's playlist post I was planning on doing my own. When you drive as much as I do (about 250+ KM a week) you plow through playlists pretty quickly. I'm really fond of the one I have now thanks to a few of my own simple rules.

1. Never put the same artist on twice (unless the songs sound very different -- which is pretty much never).
2. Keep all songs under 5 minutes. My attention span seems to run out at about three and a half minutes but if its a great song I'll listen to up to four but after that I'm usually bored.
3. Try to mix up genres and tempos and styles.
4. Put at least two mellow songs on back to back - this will be a good place to start the CD if you're driving in the early morning or evening, and don't want to get too pumped up.
5. Make sure you put on songs you like. This seems obvious -- but many times I've put on songs I didn't really know, but liked the band. Bad idea, you'll just keep skipping to the next song.

With this in mind here is my current playlist.

1. The Mending of the Gown - Sunset Rubdown (from Random Spirit Lover, released 2007)

2. Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling (Error in the System, 1983)

3. Breakthru - Queen (The Miracle, 1989)

4. Lipgloss - Pulp (His & Hers, 1994)

5. When Doves Cry - Prince (Purple Rain, 1984)

6. Decision/Indecision - Atomic Rooster (In Hearing Of, 1971)

7. Wonderful, Wonderful - Johnny Mathis (Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)

8. F.E.A.R - Ian Brown (Music Of The Spheres, 2001)

9. Voo Doo Child - Rogue Traders (Here Come the Drums, 2005)

10. Happy Hour - The Housemartins (London 0 Hull 4, 1986)

11. Thrill Seeker - The Divine Comedy (Fin de Sièclem, 1988)

12. J.Lo vs K.Co vs. S.Wo - Lenlow (Independent, 2004 click here for website)
{Mash up Between Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box; Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World; Stevie Wonder - Superstition; J-Lo - Jenny from the Block }

13. Brand New Day - Neil Patrick Harris (Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog Soundtrack, 2009)

14. Photocorners - The Lovely Feathers (Hind Hind Legs, 2006)

15. Gamma Ray - Beck (Modern Guilt, 2008)

16. Mongoloid - Devo (Q. Are We Not Devo? A. We Are Devo! 1977)

17. Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III (Handcream for a Generation, 2002)

18. Sabotage - Beastie Boys (Ill Communication, 1994)

19. Time to Pretend - MGMT (Oracular Spectacular, 2008)


That's all for now folks. I expect I'll be sick of these songs come July.