Monday Mixer #7 [Springtime]

This week, we are very excited to present Week 7 of the Monday Mixer playlists, a collaborative playlist created each Monday by some of your favorite music blogs. The theme for this week’s playlist is “Springtime.”

Photo: Angela Wu

You can check out the full playlist below.

Owen @ Wine and Bowties

Ghostland Observatory – “Midnight Voyage”
I’ve definitely been feeling the barefoot, springtime vibe so I was pretty juiced to find out this weeks theme. Anyways… the band is Ghostland Observatory. They get down. Front man Aaron Behrens makes me forget bell bottoms aren’t cool. I’m imagining the setting for this song to be at a barbeque after everyone’s eaten and the sun is almost down… buzzed… then this song comes on and everyone realizes it’s time to dance. Hard. That would be awesome.

Confusion @ Pigeons and Planes

The Shins – “Chutes Too Narrow”
I put this Shins song on a spring break mix years ago and now it always reminds me of driving to the beach with the windows down in a car full of friends.

Ben @ The Metropolitan Jolt

The Knife – “Pass This On”
I have always loved this tropical track from The Knife. Its utilization makes it unlike any other songs from the group. And I guess it’s really a bit more summery than spring time, but I think it still applies. Made to be enjoyed in warm weather.

Levi @ Lost In The Sound

Blue Öyster Cult – “Then Came the Last Days of May”
I hold a special place for Blue Öyster Cult. I think that they’re one of the most underappreciated bands of their era, and this song is a good demonstration of their utility outside of their singles. A laid-back, somber song, it’s music strongly evokes the cool desert imagery. Perhaps an inversion of the typical rebirth feelings of spring, the setting and feeling make it worthy of a spring playlist.

Marc @ Umstrum

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – “Relator”
Whenever I hear this song, no matter whether it’s hot or cold outside, I feel like spring has arrived. I don’t know if it’s the summery guitar chords, the bouncy rhythm or the soft vocals but it just feels like the temperature rises a few degrees every time I play it. Give it a try! Play the song and close your eyes. Can’t you see yourself driving a car across the country with your windows open and the sun hitting hard on the windowshield? It always works…

Chris @ Daily Beatz

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – “Up From Below”
Springtime is one of my favorite times of the year. Mostly because it means the end of another long and brutal winner and the start of a few months of fantastic weather and good times before it all goes downhill again. “Up From Below”, one of my favorite Eddie Sharpe tunes, seems to capture this emotion pretty well, both lyrically and with its undeniably bright and upbeat music.

Mikayla @ LOOSE L!PS

The Virgins – “Rich Girls (Le Castle Vania Remix)”
An oldie but a goodie, Le Castle Vania’s remix of The Virgins “Rich Girls” is my ultimate spring song. With its stomping beat, criminally funky bassline, vocal oohs (which are my musical Achilles heel), and mock-guitar whines, it is THE staple piece in every ‘sunny day’ playlist I’ve created in the past year and a half. Just try to listen to it without grooving. Now take it to your car, roll your windows down, and start cruising. Just trust me on this one.

Frank @ Lost In The Sound

Steel Train – “Bullet”
One of 2010’s biggest surprises for me was New Jersey indie rock band Steel Train’s third studio album. “Bullet” is the opening track, which pretty much encapsulates what the entire album is about: non-stop fun. Highlighting frontman Jack Antonoff’s easily distinguishable voice, the crescendoing chorus is perfect for a sunny day.