Monkberry Moon Delight - Amongst trends, I found myself seeing more and more Paul McCartney music on Instagram. In the vein of nerds retaking the main stage with their interests, creatives started making videos showcasing music they enjoyed coupled with comedy. "Monkberry Moon Delight" served as the background for an awkward party scene where these "nerds" reenacted their body language when given the opportunity to handle the aux. It's safe to say the other partygoers weren't too thrilled with the selection.
Video's like these make me laugh and realize how, quote unquote, uncool I am. Paul McCartney was once young and hip and the cool thing to listen to. Now, whenever something like this track is played at a typical party people may meet it with sour faces. But that's where my friend group comes in. I've grown up with six best friends as close as blood and we have very particular and similar music tastes that mirror our parents. Our appreciation for good music spans decades and eons before we were born. I truly don't know what I'd do if I had to endure road trips, parties, hang outs, and weddings where the music was all terrible. Thank goodness we all are on the same page.
End to End - I had the house to myself for a bit after work one day and instead of sitting down to stare at my phone I decided to do a little clean of the kitchen and groove out. I started with the usual shuffle game as I started washing the dishes. That quickly ended as it took too much time to de-sud my hands, dry them, and then get to my phone to change the odd tunes I wasn't feeling. The shuffle game requires all hands-on deck, especially if you're searching for a certain mood - one you just can't put your finger on.
Eventually I found a groove I could fall into and the wonderful stylings of a band I haven't yet showcased came on. Colour Haze has become one of my go to Stoner Rock bands and has introduced me to many other artists of the same caliber. Here comes Earthless, although I've been acquainted before, with a hard hitting track I hadn't yet discovered. "End to End" drifted in like a thick fog and had my ears pinned to the speaker as I waited in anticipation. Once that groove hit and the song started its pounding I knew immediately; this track was going to get some airtime.
In typical fashion I listened three times in a row turning the volume up more and more each spin. I texted the link over to my brother. "Ooo, another Earthless jam" he responded. I couldn't help but let him know - "Yeah but this one is it!"
Just the Two of Us - I love those moods when you know exactly what you want to listen to. A time when you're on point with your emotions, what's happening around you, and who you want to accompany you. For some reason I had the inkling that I wanted to hang out with Bill Withers. "Just the Two of Us" popped into my head, probably put there subconsciously from something I saw on the internet, and I took it straight to the stereo.
Another learning moment took hold of my inflated ego and sat me down to explain that Bill Withers may sing on this particular track, but that it's really a collaborative piece written by a handful of talented people. Grover Washinton, a jazz/soul/funk saxophonist, recorded the song for his album Winelight and shared the studio with Withers. Too many times in history the singer of a track ends up getting most of the credit even if it is just colloquially.
"Just the Two of Us" did its job and settled my emotions, put me in a comfortable place, and gave me some nice soothing sounds to relax to. Sit down and lay back with this classic track. It's proven to make you feel better immediately - the Pat T seal of approval.
Just Another Day - Periodically I go through the stages of overuse, rejection, and complete abstinence. I'm talking about Instagram and its choke hold on my brain. Sitting around like a soggy, rotten potato scrolling through reels has me wanting to throw up and hide in a hole. There are some good things that come from it, a laugh or two, a connection between friends. I get to see videos people think I'd like, and I get to make people laugh with my suggestions. That part is nice, but there's a fine line between obsession, brain melting, and a good amount of entertainment.
As stupid as most of the videos on Instagram are there are those ones that make me cackle out loud. The incredible introduction to "Just Another Day" came from the hilarious and head shaking video of a woman, who presumably just rear ended another car, sitting, leaned back, in her car bumping this Too $hort track without a worry. Her face is straight as she revs her engine, spinning her tires, but going nowhere because the smashed car in front of her is still undeniably in her way. Trying to run from the scene? No better music to accompany this debacle than one that exclaims - "I hit Interstate 80 and I'm rolling, Joint's still burning and I'm smoking..." Too laid back. Too short on fucks to give.
The 5th Exotic - Too many times I spend my time hanging around not knowing what to do yet weighing myself with guilt that I'm not doing something productive. The weekends prove to be my kryptonite If I don't have any predetermined plans. I can't get out of my own way and allow myself to enjoy my time off by relaxing or by doing something I like. There are far too many choices out there.
This past Saturday I stood around moving from room to room waiting for something to happen. If I were waiting for a sign or a miraculous invitation I'd still be standing in the same spot. What I did, fueled by months of desire, was an impulse to get out of the house and finally bring in those rolls of film I so desperately wanted to get developed. The decision was aided by the fact that right down the street from the photo store was one of the skateparks I used to skate and one that isn't like skating on sandpaper.
After I dropped my film off, I headed to the park to roll around for a bit and get back into something I hadn't done for quite some time. The park was filled with a small group of scooterers and some skaters and to my surprise and wonder the sounds of a portable boom box. As I skated around, getting my legs warmed up and skating off the cobwebs, the subtle sounds of instrumental hip hop beats filled the air. It was soothing, it was groovy, and it fell into place perfectly - not intimating or encroaching on anyone's space. At times, much like reading to a good playlist, I didn't even know there was music playing.
After asking one of the guys hanging around next to the ghetto blaster I was introduced to some artists and vibes I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting before. "The 5th Exotic" was the track that was playing as I posed my question. It went straight into my liked playlist and the rest is history.
Mumbo Sugar - Could be this week's slotted instrumental track or it could be a lifetime groover that makes its way onto the reading playlist. After a week in it feels like somewhere in the middle, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy "Mumbo Sugar" extensively. Most of my Spotify is filled with Jazz and Funk/Rock instrumentals that I end up saving because they stand out to me. They will come on amidst Spotify's suggestions and I'll take note if they make me check my phone to see who is playing.
Arc De Soleil has squeaked themselves into my catalog as I keep adding one off tracks with months in between. These types of songs seem to come as single packages that get delivered without notice or reason. I won't go searching out these artists or go listening to their entire discographies. I enjoy the fact that these tracks come and go but stick around in my likes to remind me they're there once the shuffle game digs them up.
The instrumentals on my Spotify feel like a completely different genre, not just a genre, but a mood put together of lots of different styles to form a broader enclosure. "Mumbo Sugar" serves as one of the latest installments and while it sits high on my liked list, I'll continue listening to it, but it will surely find its way deeper down topped on by new tunes. It will always be there to surprise me again when the time is right. Instrumentals are my secret weapon. They'll always grab my attention and have the lowest skip rate out of any other genre in my catalog.
Bless the Telephone - With the last spot of this playlist staring me in the face I wracked my brain to find a song worth filling it. I don't like sprawling around searching for something to throw in just to complete the seven-song list. I wish I had seven new tracks that I couldn't stop listening to every week. Sadly, I have yet to accomplish that feat so far but there is always time for new music.
Instead of pulling up a random track I have in my discography, I mulled around some more to see what I could add. Spotify had some suggestions of what to add to this playlist. I checked it out and ended up listening to Labi Siffre's major hit "I Got The..." While I knew I enjoyed this song, I didn’t want to include it on this playlist for specific reasons. I did check out Siffre's page and was surprised to find "I Got The..." third on his popular track list. Giving the first two songs a listen, "Bless the Telephone" hit me with intrigue. I didn't see this track coming from Siffre mainly because the only song I had ever heard was the aforementioned third on his list.
With a couple listens of "Bless the Telephone" I felt that this was the ender I was looking for. Knew to me and full of all the criteria. The song's subject matter even struck a chord with me as I continue to traverse the train wreck of a love life I call my own. How I want to connect with someone just to tell them how "It's nice, the way you say my name, not very fast or slow, just soft and low, the same as when you tell me how you feel, I feel the same way, too, I'm very much in love with you." The jokes on me though. Too many times have I had such a connection and thrown it in the trash. I'm the product of my own mistakes and I live through those mistakes every day whenever I listen to music. The all-powerful medium that I keep returning to even if it breaks my heart and puts it back together a dozen times a day.
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