WARMER MIXTAPES #1231 | by Anna Luisa Daigneault [Quilla] of Feast Of Spirits, Banana Lazuli, Pamplemousse Explosion and Mono Y Banana

Photo by Harvey Robinson

1. Sia | Chandelier
This song is intensely beautiful and wild. It really makes me want to swing from the chandeliers. The sonic essence and the underlying message converge into one big explosion in my brain. No matter what mood I am in, I feel uplifted. The Music Video is also amazing.

2. Regina Spektor | You've Got Time (Orange Is The New Black Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
My jaw literally dropped when I first heard this song, which is the theme song to one of the most intriguing shows on Netflix, Orange Is The New Black. The composition itself is genius, and the pairing with the visuals makes it even more powerful. Production-wise, this song is gold. The dynamics, the vocals, the choice blend of instruments... It all resonates in me. If I can compose a song half this good, I will die happy.

3. Paris Blohm & Taylr Renee | Left Behinds 
The lyrics are just so chilling and strange, and the Music Production is heart-stoppingly good. The result is an innovative lyrical gem. One day, my dream would be to battle Taylr Renee in an EDM-lyric-writing competition to see who can come up with the most weirdly ethereal yet accessible lyrics! Taylr Renee, it's on!!

4. Dan Croll | From Nowhere
Solid songwriting from a solid composer and performer. Solid. I recently saw him in concert with his band, and they were all such great performers with a wonderful synergy to them. Music School achievers dominate the stage, in a beautiful way.

5. Maroon 5 | Maps
A teenage onslaught of emotions occurs in my heart whenever I hear this song. Adam Levine exists in some surreal place in my head, and it just makes me melt when I hear his voice. Sigh... Yup, I feel about 14 years old right now. It happens every time. Please get out of my brain, Adam Levine.



6. Grimes | Go (feat. Blood Diamonds)
I love the new song from Grimes. Just recently released, I love the direction she is taking, and the production quality on this track is quite stellar. I love her older material too, but this song represents everything Grimes is capable of when she collaborates with some of the best engineers out there in the Music Industry.

7. Lhasa De Sela | Con Toda Palabra
One of my favorite singers, period. She walked the Earth for only a short time. Timid yet fierce, delicate yet ruthless in her vocal style, Lhasa was unique. I think of her Music every day and wish to channel some of her Emotion into my Music. I wonder what it would have been like if Lhasa did Dance Music...

8. Madonna | La Isla Bonita
Tender moments, Tropical Island Breeze, Spanish guitar... Coupled with infectious beats streaming through an 80s boombox. A classic feeling from one of Pop Music's great protagonists. Madonna rules in a superb, hardcore way.

9. Tori Amos | Precious Things
I could listen to this song every single day of my life and not get tired of it. A piano virtuoso and a truly gifted lyricist and vocalist, Tori Amos has inspired me since I first heard her album Little Earthquakes, on a mixtape given to me by a dear friend. Hearing her voice and message coming at me from the dusty Walkman made a big impact on my young brain. I will never forget how her Music affected my perception of what could, and should, be said in a song.

10. Everything But The Girl | Missing (Todd Terry Club Mix)
This song was probably my first introduction to how powerful vocals in Dance Music can be. As a young kid, I remember hearing this song late one night on the radio. I had snuck out of my bedroom window onto the roof of my house, and I was listening to Music and staring at the Full Moon. I heard this song, and was struck by the imagery and story told in the song. So nostalgic and heart-breaking. I wondered at that moment if maybe, just maybe, I could write lyrics for Dance Music one day. I never thought it would actually happen though! I still come back to this song often for Inspiration.

+11. Radiohead | Lucky
I was a huge fan of Radiohead growing up, and this song is one of the lesser-known gems on their ground-breaking album, OK Computer. We are standing on the edge... That lyric from Thom Yorke just haunted me incessantly and motivated me to concoct songs exploring emotions that are subtle and difficult to describe just using words.