DJ Jim Q's Playlist: VIBRANT
Welcome to this month’s playlist. Vibrant is the theme, selected by our southwestern friends from the San Antonio chapter of CreativeMornings, this month’s soundtrack is decidedly on the energetic and positive side of the vibe spectrum. Full of energy, brightness, and life, these 30 + songs are beaming with vibrancy. I think my preferences have always leaned more towards darker sonic territories. I tend to like the moodier, brooding, melancholic tunes for whatever reason. Hmm, now that I think about it maybe I’m just kinda emo. Nonetheless, I’m also quite susceptible to the lightness and exuberance of a well-crafted upbeat tune. I guess that makes my choice to listen to darker fare a bit masochistic. That may require deeper personal reflection but until then I’ll just queue up this month’s playlist and let the positive energy fill me with vibrancy and light.
The playlist opens with Talk Talk’s 1986 sonic affirmation “Life is What You Make It”. What a great optimistic song. It’s the third track on the 1986 album “The Colour of Spring”. The tune was crafted in response to the record labels’ desire for a more approachable radio single. A late addition to the album, the song was heavily influenced by Kate Bush’s mega-hit “Running up That Hill”, can you hear it?
Q-tips “Vivrant Thing” is from the Tribe Called Quest-ers’ 1999 debut solo album. J. Dilla and Q-Tip produced the track and it was a fairly successful single. I remember at the time not really feeling it. The song was a significant stylistic departure from the jazzier Tribe Called Quest material and seemed very derivative of the radio-ready hip-hop of the time. The music video and overall aesthetic appeared to be imitating the Bad Boy Records / Puff Daddy / Mase pastiche that was so pervasive. I was not a fan of that era at the time. In retrospect, it’s a groovy little upbeat tune and I can’t help but bop my head to it.
A little deeper into the playlist you will find The Creatures. The band was an arty side project of Siouxsie and The Banshees singer Siouxsie Sioux and fellow drummer Budgie. From the 1989 album Boomerang, the pair delivers a buoyant ethereal march with “Solar Choir”. Complete with an affirmative mantra “Here I Am”, the driving tune feels as uplifting as it is propelling. I like The Creatures, with this project, the pair explores a wide range of sonic territories. It’s clear from the experimental sounds, that this is an artistically driven endeavor with little regard for commercial appeal. Most tracks feature quite expressive rhythmic foundations and the songs explore a wide breadth of melodic territories from rock to jazz to Eastern European instrumentation to African sounds and beyond. Very Eclectic stuff.
Further into the track list is Manfred Mann’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light”. This is one of those examples where the cover is even more well-known than the original. I certainly love Bruce and typically prefer originals to the covers but there is something so epic about this reinterpretation. The production is pretty unique and complex. From the heavily swung 16th notes on the hi-hats, to the driving throb of upbeat tempo, to persistent rhythmic shifting from half-time to double time throughout, paired with epic synth sweeps, piano stabs, and soaring guitar arpeggios, it takes on a completely new form. Actually, it’s quite theatrical.
Just past the halfway point in the playlist, I thought I’d include a classic from the Stones. I am a fan of the earlier 60’s era Rolling Stones. There is something special about those songs; they are fairly restrained and crafted to produce polished pop songs. However, the band just can’t seem to suppress the grit and attitude simmering just beneath the sweet veneer. Even their most innocent songs like “She’s a Rainbow” have an ominous undertone and swagger. I love this tension. It just makes these early songs more complex and intriguing than the later more overtly brash stuff. Which is great as well but doesn’t interest me as much.
The playlist concludes with an epic 13-minute medley “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” from Pink Floyd’s concept album “Wish You Were Here”. The song is an homage and tribute to former bandmate Syd Barett. Barett was the founding member of Pink Floyd and the creative force behind much of the earlier records. Sadly he also suffered from severe mental health issues that were compounded by excessive drug use. This combination put him into a debilitating state and he was unable to continue on with the band. Syd Barett released a few compelling solo albums post Pink Floyd, but never rejoined the band. Serendipitously, in 1975, while recording the vocals on “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” in Abbey Road Studios, Syd happened to show up unannounced. It had been years since anyone had seen him. There he sat, quietly in the back observing the session. His look had been so altered that no one in the band even recognized him. He had gained significant weight and shaved his head and eyebrows completely. Eventually, someone asks, “Who is that?”. Upon the realization that the unrecognizable observer was in fact their former bandmate and childhood friend, Syd, members of the band were brought to tears.
That is just a small survey of the nearly 40 songs included in this month’s playlist Vibrant. Each and every track was hand-selected to reflect this month’s spirited theme. Brilliant and full of energy this playlist will put some shine on your day and lighten your mood. Carly Rae Jepsen gets vivid with her celebration of an intense love affair in “Psychedelic Switch”, Beyonce motivates us with “Energy”, The Beatles illuminate our minds and ears with the surreal stream of consciousness “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas compel us to move with the spirited classic “Dancing in the Streets”. This is a great song list to start the summer, so queue it up and dive into the vibrancy.
Thanks for listening, I hope these track brighten your day. If you enjoy these playlists I would love to hear from you. Give a hollar on Twitter and be sure to follow me on Spotify. See you next month with a shiny new set of tracks.