End-of-the-month Playlist

So I got this idea from Tom Fuller, an old friend from high school. My friends Nate and Natty were heading over to a party at his place early in the month, and I joined them. Almost everyone was partaking of an 80s-song themed Power Hour, but I stuck with drinking a few bottles of one of the yummier beers since my middle name might as well be "Lightweight". I also got very sad whenever a particularly fabulous 80s tune got cutoff at 60 seconds. Here's a shot of the fridge after some major inroads were made on what I lovingly refer to as "piss beer" (sorry Coors and Bud. And anything people south of San Diego call "beer". Look, I'm from Colorado, went to college in Oregon, and studied abroad in Austria. I know what beer is!):




I should add that drinking anything but a really light beer while doing a Power Hour is probably grounds for immediate sterilization so that inferior genes are not inflicted on future generations. So I am in no way criticizing the purchasers or drinkers or said light beer. I'm just saying it can't touch my chocolate stouts.

Anyway, Tom told me that night about a cool thing he does on his blog every month where he lists the songs he's listened to the most. Seeing as it's October 31st, here's my first annotated playlist:

1. Estelle's "American Boy" with Kanye West.

Totally addictive. I get to sing along with it in an English accent.

2. 3Oh!3's "Don't Trust Me"

First heard it on 93.3 and then was sad that my local music showed up on a Hills episode, not to mention as a 10 year old's ringtone in my parents' neighborhood. Not so sure I'd find these particular lyrics appropriate for my kids, but ok. Points for the band name being my area code and for the fact that a Fairview kid and Boulder high kid are in it together. Additional props for the "Tell your boyfriend if he's got beef that I'm a vegetarian and I ain't fuckin' scared of him" line. Very nice.

3. Brandi Carlile's "The Story"

I have this thing where I think love stories aren't real unless people fight and go gray together. Thus The Notebook totally does it for me. Also "The Story" is fun to sing very loud. From here on out I depart a bit from the pop scene.

4. Grateful Dead's "Truckin"

This song stalked me all month. I'm not joking. It showed up in Patagonia while I tried on a "Vote the Environment" t-shirt and was on 97.3 as I drove home from class, not to mention showing up way mores times than is statistically likely in my iTunes lists. It's ok though, 'cause I like it lots.

5. John Mellencamp's "My Sweet Love"

I love songs about women who bushwhack their way through life, leaving oozing sap and awed faces behind. "You're the woman who knows exactly what she's doin', you're the girl who ate the apple off the tree." I also like apples. And if anyone ever imprisons me naked in a garden and tells me not to eat fruit off a certain tree, I will immediately take a big bite. And then chuck it at their head.

6. The Dixie Chicks "Wide Open Spaces"

Now see, this is how I know I'm not cut out to live in a city or a cloudy state for too long. I'm a big sky kind of girl, and while I don't make a habit of tromping into the wilderness all the time, I like having it close enough to escape into. This country gets too built up, I'm buying me a cabin in Montana. It's also about growing up, which I think we're all still trying to do.

7. Paul Simon's "Late in the Evening"

A quintessential song of summer. We've had these long, warm, sunny Indian Summer days this month, and this came on the radio as I was cleaning out my car with the speakers blasting and the breeze blowing my hair. Perfection.

8. Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years"

Actually a pretty sad song, but very catchy. Reminds me not to dwell on the negative, whether thoughts or people. Life's short, only got a hundred years at the outside. Spend it being happy, making others happy, and having fun!

9. Os Mutante's "A Minha Menina"

I first heard this song on an NPR bit about how the band sold out by allowing the song to be used for this McDonald's commercial. It's a cute commercial though, good job McDonald's advertising people! Portugese is cool, if trippy.

10. Robert Plant and Allison Krauss's "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)"

Whenever I listen to "My Sweet Love" I want to hear this song next, and vice versa. There are way too few awesome duets. I vote for more.

11. Head for the Hills' "Harvest Moon"

More local music - started in Golden and now based out of Fort Collins. A little topical bluegrass as the seasons change.

12. KT Tunstall's "Other Side of the World"

I got to see Tunstall live at the Folks Fest this summer, and I loved this song. iTunes Genius spit it back at me this month, and I love it even more. It has a beautiful melody and a nice version of the breakup story - just two people on opposite sides of the world whether literally or figuratively, and a girl wanting to grow.

13. Belle & Sebastian's "Judy and the Dream of Horses"

I looked this song up because of this Etsy piece by Emily Martin. I was already curious about Belle & Sebastian though, because there's a Gilmore Girls episode where Lorelai asks Rory where her Belle & Sebastian shirt is. As usual, GG was way ahead of the curve - B&S are all over the soundtracks for Juno and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this song was written about me. The lyrics are eerie in their accuracy.

14. Dan Craig's "Goodnight Darlin' "

Local singer/songwriter I heard at the Folks Fest. He's pretty cute, too. Here are some choice lyrics: "Goodnight darlin' and dream about New York tonight, the subways and the midtown lights, the way to call you home"; " Rest your mind you know, Phillie's the best friend you'll find, you can lay your head between her rivers like a mother's open arms/ And if you're tired well Boston knows the way you're wired, you can ask the cops in Cambridge how they keep their horses warm"; "Or take flight up over the mountains Utah's out of sight, there's miles and miles of space out there for you to make your mark." Good writing.

15. Debussy's "Clair De Lune"

What can I say, Edward played it for Bella. Listening to the notes is like floating in salt water or slipping between fresh white hotel sheets after a day of playing in the mountains. Or walking into my clean and waiting room after being gone for weeks or months. Mmmmm.