WARMER MIXTAPES #1248 | by Madeline Mondrala
Photo by Lauren Oliver
1. Fleet Foxes | He Doesn't Know Why
This song is just so beautiful. It reminds me why I love writing melodies and the way it feels when you make one you can't get out of your head or stop singing. This song makes me think of Rebirth.
2. Foxy Brown | So Hot (feat. Young Gavin)
This is my ultimate laid back female Hip Hop jam. I love female rappers. They make up a big part of my Music collection. I love this song in-particular because it's subtle, yet bad fucking ass. Her flow is untouchable, effortless. The beat holds it down. It's perfect.
3. Erykah Badu | Didn't Cha Know
This song is what my soul looks like. Her devotion to her words never ceases to inspire me. The message of this song describes a mark of Humanity: Uncertainty. She puts the feeling of Struggle in the context of a calm, pulsating arrangement. This song is always in the back of my mind.
4. Kate Bush | Suspended In Gaffa
There are so many out of the box vocal techniques in this song that even after having heard it probably hundreds of times, I feel there is always a new quirk to discover. I love this entire album because it's an example of my favorite genre of Music, the one I work within: Experimental Pop. Nothing about it is predictable yet it is incredibly accessible. On top of all of this, the melodies in this song are brilliant.
5. Miley Cyrus | Do My Thang
I love anything that combines elements that are worlds apart. In my opinion this song is a successful melding of a Country/Pop artist and an extremely talented Hip Hop/R&B producer. Some may criticize it for falling somewhere between both genres, but to me that is a positive thing. The stranger the better. If I want to get hyped, or feel like a bad bitch, this is one of the songs I put on.
6. David Byrne & St. Vincent | I Should Watch T.V.
This song is written by two of my favorite artists. I am a songwriter after David Byrne's heart. We both love to write about humans in a scientific, humorous, introspective yet macro way. I love this song because the arrangement is like candy to my ears. So many little moments to take in and let go. You don't listen to this song. It happens to you.
7. Santigold | Creator
Now this song is just my straight up jam. Give me Santigold and I will give you a smile. Nothing makes me want to move my body like this song. Everything from the beat to the arrangement to the lyrics makes my blood want to jump out of my skin... In a good way. The refrain of this song is basically my creed.
8. The Sugarcubes | Birthday
I knew I had to put something by Björk on this playlist because in my opinion this is Björk's world and we're just living in it. But instead of sifting through all of her genius albums and painstakingly trying to find the perfect song to somehow encapsulate all the beauty of her Music and how it's shaped my life, I decided to go with a song she wrote before she was Björk. The Sugarcubes were her teenage band and this song is nostalgic and beautiful in every sense. It reminds me that it's OK to not be the person you are ultimately meant to be, because you can create a lot of beauty on the journey to get there.
9. Dirty Projectors | See What She Seeing
This is a band I have loved and admired for years. They are truly Experimental with their Vocal and Instrumental arrangements. This song is held particularly dear to me because I love the lyrics so much. I find them so relatable it's almost like I wrote them myself.
10. The Knife | Heartbeats
I want this song to play in my head while I die. Enough said.
+11. Cat Stevens | Fill My Eyes
This song and the artist who wrote it make me think of my father. It is soft, beautiful, and deeply touching.
