annotated playlist.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter (woo!) knows I recently watched all six seasons of American Horror Story in swift succession. Season two (Asylum) is still my favorite of the bunch due largely to the inclusion of the song “Dominique” by Soeur Sourire. It’s featured in almost all of the scenes that take place in the common room, and it kind of make you feel like you’re going crazy yourself due to the repetitive nature of the refrain (see below). 

I was just going to leave it at that since the video of the singing nuns in black and white was just so perfect, but then I found this...

A particularly music-interested friend of mine on Facebook posted this a few days ago and I felt compelled to complete it myself, although it’s seriously been years since I’ve bought into anything of the chain-lettery sort. Could be fun, though, and fits well here in any case...

Band(s) I hate: There are definitely a few (looking at you Nickelback), but I seriously start twitching whenever I hear anyone start playing Morrissey or The Smiths. Band(s) I think is/are overrated: Beyoncé.  Band(s) I think is/are underrated: Aeroplane, Scissor Sisters, TV-2 Band(s) I love:  I think they mean someone right now that’s new and fresh, and sadly the only thing I can think of is Ladytron. Which in my mind is always new and fresh, so we’ll just leave this like it is. Band(s) I secretly love: Nicky Minaj (!), No Doubt, Coldplay.  Favorite band(s): Travis, The Clash, Le Tigre, Nena, Falco, Depeche, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Kinks, Vapnet (I seriously live in the past). Most intelligent lyrics: Vapnet.  Best Live Band(s): TRAVIS, and surprisingly (or not!) the Scissor Sisters. Local band(s): Amason, if they count (they’re from Stockholm!)

It’s been a while since I’ve updated (my bad!), but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been listening to anything new, or finding good things to make the afternoons brighter! 

I’ve come across a few songs by Is Tropical here and there over the past year or so (thanks, Spotify Radio!), mainly in remix form (yay!), but this one really stuck with me and recently I’ve found myself coming back to it over and over again. My most recent memory that has gotten glued to this particular song is that of being on a bus traveling from Brussels to Luxembourg City and listening to this blaring in my headphones as I soaked up the scenery. It had been ages since I had felt as confident and independent as I did just then, and I remember looking out the window and smiling until my cheeks hurt once the song arrived at the bridge. Happy memories.

I’ve had this song on a loop in my head for two weeks now-- very persistent! But those are the best kinds of songs, amiright? Anyway, Susanne Sundfør is a Norwegian popstar that has been around for ages, but I only heard about her a couple of months ago. Her latest album is really good and includes other gems such as “Fade Away” and, my personal favorite, “Accelerate.” Despite the sometimes strange vocabulary choices (”done with intent/without repent” [?!]), “Delirious” is a freaking amazing song to both listen and lip-synch to. 

Even though I still have an hour left of Xavier Dolan’s very long and very worth it film Laurence Anyways, I can already say that this is my favorite scene in the movie (even though the whole picture is unbelievably gorgeous, and the story enthralling, and the actors brilliant... gah, must stop gushing). Here we have one of the main characters, Freds walking in to a ball in a way that most of us would like to enter rooms on a regular basis (i.e. floating and majestic, with all eyes upon us), accompanied by the song “Fade to Grey” by Visage. 

I’ve been on a real Pet Shop Boys kick lately (and when I say real, I mean real), due mainly to hearing their new(ish) song “Thursday” at the end of an episode of the now-sadly-canceled show Looking. After listening to that 35 million times over the course of 5 days, I moved on to the other songs on the album, and I instantly loved Love is a Bourgeois Construct almost just as much. 

Some Hercules & Love Affair for your Friday afternoon listening pleasure. Antony Hegarty’s voice is one of my favorites and fits perfectly into this lazy, warm summer afternoon. 

If your Monday morning was anything like mine, then you’ll appreciate this extra little boost of bass. 

Tei Shi - "Bassically" (2015)

Another flawless remix by the Belgian music talent Sebastiaan Vandevoorde, aka Moonlight Matters.

I know that this is an old song, as well as one that you either love or hate. But I think this remix makes an otherwise sappy and strangely-worded song absolutely perfect. I love the disco flourishes so much; they make me want to stop what I’m doing and get up and dance. 

A bit of new for us all: enjoy this festive romp with Felix the Cat & Co.. courtesy of BC Camplight.