Hola mes amigos! It's been quite some time since I posted on here. I did like the French do and took a good month long break from blogging and signing into the social media giant, Facebook. Instead, I relished the summer days, took out a ton of books from the library, performed for the fifth time with my belly dance studio, Sahara Dance, drove four hours each way to the beach every weekend, and thanked the ocean for her ability to remind me that I am one little baby star in this big, confusing, ever-expanding Universe.
Not signing into Facebook was refreshing; the time way helped me reassess how I was spending my time previously. I expected the site to have a completely new look when I logged back in on September 1st, but nothing seemed all that different. Sure, I had a ton of notifications, tags, messages, and the like, but I can honestly say I didn't feel lost without it. Logging in once, or multiple times a day/week, changes nothing about my life perspective, confidence, or friendships. The people who wanted to stay in touch with me during my break did. I had a lot of support behind my decision to go off the radar and appreciate those who were so willing to cooperate with my missing digital self.
Ultimately what made my summer especially memorable was the amount of live music I experienced. I spent a lot of my evenings and weekends soaking up talent, old and new, with friends, family, and my good old self. As a result, this playlist explores artists who I was fortunate to see, who I will be seeing within the next few months, or who have recent released albums/have upcoming albums out this fall.
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| Jamie Cullum |
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| Banks |
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| C.J. Chenier and band warming up |
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| XPoNential Festival 2014 |
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| Philly skyline from XPoNential Festival |
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| Spoon |
As a friendly reminder, in order to listen along with the song descriptions below, be sure to click on this link. You can also follow me on Spotify by clicking here. You will need a Spotify account in order to access the majority of the songs listed in the So Long Summer, Salut September playlist.
Amusez-vous!
- "Feels Like Fire" by Ryan Adams: Ryan was the Saturday night headliner for the XPoNential Festival this summer. His CDs soothed my soul while driving to and from the beach during my teenage years. The venue was a bit too large for his style of music in my humble opinion, but he rocked on stage nonetheless.
- "Mess Is Mine" by Vance Joy: You may remember this Australian artist from my April playlist. His full length album finally came out, and it is brilliant. I hope to see him in October when he comes to town.
- "Rabid Animal" by Lake Street Dive: Holy cow, this band is amazing. From the moment they stepped onto the stage at the XPoNential Festival, I could not stop grooving along to their music. That voice, the bassist's dance moves, the drummer's shout out to being home in Philly: their performance was, hands down, one of the top three during that three-day festival.
- "Habits (Stay High)" by Tove Lo: I first heard the Hippie Sabotage remix version of this song way back in the winter. While the song isn't new, I couldn't stop hitting repeat on the original version this summer. The lyrics are raw, depressing even, but so truthful.
- "Lost On The Way Home" by Chromeo, featuring Solange: While everyone was speculating about what went down in the elevator this summer, I was grooving to Solange. Little sister Knowles has got talent.
- "Tough Love" by Jessie Ware: Jessie played at the nearby Fillmore last Halloween and I still regret not buying tickets to that show. While I'm currently obsessing over "Say You Love Me," I also love the lyrics and '80s vibe of this single off of her upcoming album.
- "Lyin King" by Jhene Aiko: I've highlighted this West Coast R&B singer before in a previous playlist, but I can't get enough of her, plain and simple. Her lyrics are so well written and, more often than not, discuss her troubles finding a respectful man worth her time and heart. "Lyin King" is one of my favorite tracks off of her full-length album, which was just released last week.
- "Next Time (Won't Give My Heart Away" by Keyshia Cole: I'm so happy Keyshia is back on the R&B scene. Her latest album will be out this fall. While she's already previewed three singles off of the new album, this one reminds me the most of her past work.
- "Forever Don't Last" by Jazmine Sullivan: This song isn't on Spotify yet, but you can listen here on SoundCloud. If the first ten seconds don't have you catching your breath, I'm not sure what you think real music is these days.
- "Made to Love" by John Legend: I've always loved John Legend's music, but I wish the radio would stop overplaying, "All of Me." This song deserves so much more play time. Plus, there's a magnificent crescendo: swoon.
- "Rompe La Cintura" by Alexis & Fido: Okay, okay, this song is nowhere near new, but I've heard it so many times while out dancing earlier this summer that I had to add it to the list.
- "Bailando" by Enrique Iglesias & Descemer Bueno: While this has certainly been overplayed on the local Spanish radio station, I find it super catchy. Plus, they sing slow enough that I can pretend I know what I'm saying in Spanish when I sing along.
- "Omr Gedid" by Elissa: While I'm not a fan of the design of her latest CD, I am super excited about her new music. This is one of the better upbeat songs, although I also love the lyrics and sound of "Ana Nefssi."
- "ave cesaria" by Stromae: I see him in less than a week and I could not be more excited. Every song off of his latest CD is parfaite.
- "Forgive & Forget" by The Kooks: The switch thirty seconds into this song reminds me of Franz Ferdinand's original sound. I'm excited to hear the rest of their new album this fall. This song gets me on my feet and clapping in no time. Care to join me?
- "Turn It Around" by Lucius: Unfortunately, I missed their time on stage at the XPoNential Festival, but my brother and sister had nothing but praise for this band.
- "Look Out Mama" by "Hurray For The Riff Raff: I did, however, get to the stage just in time to see this New Orleans-based band do their thing. What a wonderful way to start my day of live music! I couldn't keep my eyes off of the fiddle.
- "Au Contraire, Mon Frere" by C.J. Chenier: These guys know how to put on a show. (They started playing a full song during sound check when another artist was still on the other stage). While they didn't play this tune live, their washboard player did perform all sorts of splits and acrobatic movements while strumming along. I'm pretty sure I embarrassed my little brother with my dance moves...but zydeco music is meant for dancing.
- "Head On [Hold On To Your Heart]" by Man Man: These guys are crazy! With fur coats on in the July heat, they had their hometown audience grooving to their ways. I love the lyrics to this song, although their more bizarre music truly portrays the essence of their group, Man Man.
- "1998" by Chet Faker: The lyrics to this song are so applicable to today's dating world. If you have a chance to see this Aussie live, do it.
- "Stolen Dance" by Milky Chance: First, it was the beat; next, it was the voice that caught my attention; but then, oh, but then, you listen closely to the lyrics and your mind is blown away.
- "Time Machine" by Ingrid Michaelson: I haven't really been listening to Ingrid since late high school, but she was one of the better live performers at XPoNential Festival. She had the whole audience laughing with her stories and did a wonderful cover of Magic's "Rude."
- "Little Numbers" by BOY: I think this was one of the most played songs in my car this summer.
- "When I Get Famous" by Jamie Cullum: I'm still in shock that I was not only able to finally see this genius live, but that I was mere feet away from him. I cannot stress enough how amazing his live show was.
- "Prendre Le Jour" by Melanie Pain: I've got to include another French song in here somewhere. This particular song was played a ton during summer thunderstorms and midday daydreams. I find it absolutely breathtaking and hope she comes around here one day.
- "Under The Table" by Banks: While most people are just starting to recognize this talented gal, I've got to brag and tell you that I had the pleasure of seeing her live earlier this year before she started making appearances on national television. She seemed super nervous when she first came out onto the stage, but the nerves quickly disappeared when the whole audience starting singing along with her. While Banks is making a name for herself with her more electronic-based music, this song allows her voice to truly shine on its own.
- "I Forget Where We Were" by Ben Howard: This man has gotten me through so many challenges over the past four or so years. I cannot contain my excitement to hear his new full-length album this fall. I hope he adds more US dates so I can see him live again. While I search for more praise to write, someone with this much musical talent doesn't really need any sort of description or explanation. Just listen.
- "Outlier" by Spoon: Hallelujah, hallelujah, after thirteen years of being a Spoon fan, I finally got to see them live two weeks ago. They were, of course, marvelous. Two encores, over two hours of music, and beautiful on-stage lighting made this an amazing live show. This is my favorite song off of their most recent album.
- "So Long, See You Tomorrow" by Bicycle Bombay Club: I'm in love with this song, this band, and their creative music videos.
Bisous,
La petite pamplemousse
