koansmom

Recent

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    These era-spanning reggae and ska tunes are perfect for lounging around on lazy summer evenings.
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    Nothing can coax you into a deep sleep quite like the soothing, ethereal sounds of dream pop's finest artists. Drift off into dreamland with these ethereal sounds.
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    Listen to the most popular pop songs in America as determined by the Billboard charts.
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    In the early 2010s, we've seen a new emergence of fun, upbeat pop music created by alternative-leaning artists. Enjoy some new songs about celebrating, dancing, and (often) being in love.
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    African "desert blues" is just about the biggest sound in world music circles today. Blending western forms with African soul, plus a healthy dose of amplification, it's a hypnotic sound that speaks hauntingly of the place and its people.

Favorites

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    Sit back, relax, and drink the "electric kool-aid." This playlist offers up the best psychedelic music from the genre's most fruitfull decade, the 1960s. Far out, indeed.
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    A playlist that sounds like a beautifully haunting shade of blue. Like a dramatic, unconventional, and artistic kind of melancholy. Like a stiff drink in a dim place.
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    Rasta, repatriation, and reefer: classic roots reggae from the 1970s.
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    During the late 1950s and early '60s, John Coltrane and many of his peers searched for a sound beyond bebop. This cool post-bop set, with saxophones aplenty, balances adventurousness and melody.
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    A retrospective of Chicago's legendary Chess Records, America's greatest blues label. Chess was the home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, Little Walter, and many more.
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    Originating in the 1950s, bossa nova (Portugese for "new trend") combined harmonies and rhythms from American jazz with Brazilian samba. Now these songs have become standard jazz repertoire.
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    Calypso tells the story of island life, commenting on politics, sex and everyday scandals to the irresistible rhythm that is the national sound of Trinidad and Tobago. Go beyond "Day-O" with this classic calypso.
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    Work your wget magic while listening to these motivational electro-bangers -- and stop slacking off. (http://xkcd.com/303/)
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    Starting in the late 1940s, a new, more cerebral and mellower response to bebop became one of the dominant strains in jazz. Enjoy the birth, maturation and continuation of cool jazz, with an emphasis on ballads.
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    It wasn't all peace and love; feel the bad vibes of the psychedelic void with artists from the 1960s to now.
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    Musician, artist, and writer, David Byrne has been publishing monthly playlists from his record collection on his website since 2005. Listen to all of his playlists here.
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    Beginning during World War II, bebop signaled the end of the big band swing era and the birth of modern jazz. Enjoy this introduction to the style, focusing on the post-war era when bebop was in its prime
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    Nothing can coax you into a deep sleep quite like the soothing, ethereal sounds of dream pop's finest artists. Drift off into dreamland with these ethereal sounds.
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    Despite the prominence of malaise-infused genres like grunge, the '90s yielded a glut of shamelessly fun-loving, crowd-pleasing hits. Here's our salute to the '90s songs that made us feel so good.
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    The sequel to Songza's original French Hip Hop playlist (http://bit.ly/JB2GvZ), this playlist features more essential cuts from the world's second most important hip hop scene.
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    Updated weekly, these are the most recent songs posted on the tastemaking music blog, gorillavsbear.net
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    Selections from Gorilla vs. Bear's favorite releases of 2011. See the full list at http://gorillavsbear.net
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    Cold, skittish electronica from witch house to post-dubstep with beautifully brooding synthpop sprinkled into the mix.
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    Recently popularized by the movie "The Descendants," Hawaiian folk is a soothing style of acoustic folk music featuring slack-key guitar, ukulele, and warm vocal harmonies. Say aloha to traditional Hawaiian folk's best artists, both past and present.
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    African "desert blues" is just about the biggest sound in world music circles today. Blending western forms with African soul, plus a healthy dose of amplification, it's a hypnotic sound that speaks hauntingly of the place and its people.
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    Fill your apartment with friends, neighbors and strangers; pour some drinks and dim the lights; start this playlist of new, cool and stylish songs; play it loud.
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    Songs by indie artists that are strongly influenced by traditional roots rock, bluegrass, and country. Rootsy and rough around the edges.
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    Not too cool, not too hot. Not too square, not too out. Delve into jazz's classic era at the office, at tempos that won't put you to sleep or get you too wound up to work.
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    An eclectic mix of slow and sultry songs to set the mood for intimate moments.
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    When the midnight hour comes, the blues turns its attention to love lost, love won, and everything in between. From vintage acoustic Delta blues to swaggering modern electric blues rock, hear the blues after midnight.
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    In honor of the re-release of Bob Marley's album "Kaya," we've put together this mix some of the best reggae music from the timeless roots and dub period. Time to celebrate, get high, and groove. Click here to pre-order "Kaya" http://tinyurl.com/cw35jyv
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    Starting in the mid '00s, the line between indie and mainstream pop started to get blurry. These are the songs that have helped bring "indie" music to the masses.
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    There is nothing quite like the seductive sonority of a finely played cello. Every composer has tried to win her affection through the centuries; here are the mellow classics that make her the great lady of the orchestra.
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    Clear, concise and creative solo piano recordings that evoke a contemplative and, at times, nocturnal feeling. Perfect for late night unwinding.
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    A selection of jazz tunes by bandleader/bassist/composer Charles Mingus and the many accomplished musicians that performed with him.
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    String the Christmas lights, fill the cooler, and watch the sun set behind the city while partying with your friends on an idyllic rooftop as these new -- and timeless -- pop/rock songs fill the air.
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    This playlist introduces a dynamic new generation of flamenco musicians who retain the techniques of traditional flamenco, but also take inspiration from pop, jazz, and blues.
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    Idyllic electronic sounds that evoke expansive rural vistas, from expressive Teutonic rock (Neu!, Cluster, Brian Eno) to deep-listening drone (Fennesz, Oneohtrix Point Never, Emeralds).
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    Also referred to as psychill, psybient is a genre of electronic music heavily influenced by world music and psychedelic sounds. Wherever you are, these songs will take you somewhere else.
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    Psychedelia is eternal. These contemporary indie artists explore altered states much like the lysergic explorers of the past.
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    The term "indie" may conjure up thoughts of a scrappy aesthetic, but as these exceptional acts prove, there's plenty of room for a more refined sound as well.
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    Listen to essential songs that have shaped South African music, from 1950s Zulu-influenced jazz to the traditional a cappella singing of isicathamiya music, and the contemporary songs they have inspired.
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    Shake off the winter doldrums and dance around to these upbeat and outrageously catchy indie pop tunes.
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    Funky rhythm & blues punctuated by sleazy guitar bursts; a playlist celebrating loose morals and unchaste pursuits.
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    This bop-leaning selection of vintage jazz features the unique and unmistakable pianist/composer Thelonious Monk, as well as many of his esteemed associates.
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    Go deeper into the chilly beauty, imagination and melancholy that's at the heart of Justin Vernon's music. Explore his influences, contemporaries and several of the artists Vernon (aka Bon Iver) has collaborated with.
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    Long before the blues went electric and urban, these rural pioneers were laying down the foundations of the genre, usually with no more than a voice and acoustic guitar.
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    Celebrate the modern blues scene and keep the blues alive with this mix of strict traditionalists and artists who are willing to bring a more modern touch to (arguably) America's greatest musical export.
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    Discover the authentic song of Spain from flamenco's most iconic artists.
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    Party music. Big, loud, nasty, party music.
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    Herbie Hancock is one of the most creatively restless and prolific artists in jazz history. He's presented here in phases ranging from post-bop to electronic pop, alongside many of his influences and contemporaries.
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    Enjoy these predominantly acoustic, unplugged songs with a distinctly wintry feel. Imagine yourself snowed-in on a winter day, sitting by the fireplace with little to do but reflect.
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