it’s a wrap….break!

Is it time to go home yet?

Some tunes to get you (mostly me) through the vestiges of this painful work week. They were chosen for co-consumption with a beverage while sun worshipping…both activities hopefully in my near future. Enjoy. -t

friday listening

Pickles and Ice Cream

I don’t know WHAT/HOW to process the latest music posted. I mean I LOVE hip-hop, and I LOVE Fleetwood Mac, but do I LOVE them together? The Scott Melker Project “Skeetwood Mac” mashups might just be one of those acquired tastes like pickles and ice cream that at first seem too Ludacris to even comprehend. I’m left scratching my head thinking “uhh wha now??” but if I am being honest…I like it.

So 2Chainz and Stevie Nicks walk in to a bar….

Admittedly this group of songs is disjointed but then again so am i. i am loving everything about A$AP Rocky, Grimes and Flux Pavilion right now. The 2Chainz/Fleetwood Mac mashup is too crazy not to include.

i WILL drown you out!

Songs not just for a monday anymore…now desperately needed for ANY day your loud cube mates are talking

 

Songs to drown out your co-workers and other Monday fun…

Mondays come with a struggle to get back into the swing of things. One funny by-product of working on how to find and share music  is that now I have so much less time to find and actually share the music.  So, for today’s post I will simply include a playlist of my latest finds through the lovely world of Spotify and YouTube.  Here are a few tunes I have been listening too drown out the loud talkers in my office.

and here is the youtube format for those w/o a Spotify account! Enjoy

To Spotify or not to Spotify… pt. 1

One of the more interesting by-products of examining the art of mixtapes is exploring the vast array of sites and services available to music lovers. From YouTube to Pandora and everything in-between, it can be confusing to find the best way to discover and share music.  Until very recently,  if I wanted to share a playlist of new songs I collected,  I would rely on the process of burning an iTunes playlist to a CD and giving it to someone.  I still believe that the act of physically giving someone a gift is more meaningful but in truth it’s not always a scalable way to share.  Honestly it never occurred to me to investigate more efficient methods that might have a more extensive reach.   Searching for ways to improve and reach more listeners, I began tinkering with a few new sites and services designed for just this purpose. Here is what I have found so far:

Pros: I like YouTube because I can find EVERYTHING. It’s quick and easy to find information , create playlists and share using social media integration “share” buttons already built in.  In the case of embedding a playlist into a blogpost, there was very little learning curve aside from knowing how to cut and paste. Also if you don’t know how to do something, there’s probably a “how-to” video on YouTube.

Do you remember the time…

Tinkering with a new playlist technology and overall FANTASTIC mixtape/playlist site. Hope you enjoy a sample playlist I have been working on off of 8track.com

Audio cassettes (Photo credit: scorzonera)

When I think back on my earliest mix tape adventures my memories involve me patiently waiting for  my “favorite” new song to come on with my dad’s  single tape recorder shoved as close as I cold get to the radio.  Crouched in position, ready to spring into action, I’d jump in anticipation of the radio DJ saying those magic words “coming up next…”

Later when I became more “responsible” and was given permission to use the family record player stereo with dual (count ’em T-W-O) tape deck, I quickly discovered the freedom of the LP and that need for creativity in setting a tone or collection of songs I felt represented my 7th grade self.   For the first time I could meticulously plan which totally awesome Janet Jackson hit would bookend Madonna’s “Live to Tell” and George Michael’s “Faith”.  Man, I wish I still had those tapes.

I think about how I would group music in a hodgepodge of songs, the fact that I could mix and match was enough for my 13-year-old self. I hadn’t given any real thought to the order or that I was painting a picture of a point in time. I was creating a time capsule, a snapshot of my life at that point in time.    Curating a good playlist can be many things, it can be your company on a long drive, ambient noise while studying, or a motivating force to get your butt to the gym.

Love in a link

A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation with my manager (AB)  about my blog topic and she lit up. As fellow music explorer, she happily shared her thoughts on this topic. Located on the east coast, AB relayed  to me  that  one of the most meaningful interactions she has each workday occurs every morning when she and an early bird co-worker, located in Seattle, send each other their song(s) of the day.  Most times there is the accompanying instant messenger banter but occasionally,  it’s just a link.  This connection made no matter how small or easy to do is their instant check-in, status update,  and way of saying ” this is where I’m at today” or “you HAVE to hear this”. Her exact words were “Tisha…it’s like sending love in a link”.