What other musical genre has its own sport? Much like the water-based activity its named for, surf rock is often almost always played by men. This BitchTapes is devoted to women surf musicians, including my best friend, who not only surfs, but tremolo picks like she's Dick Dale's daughter. Listening to this why-can't-it-be-summer-yet summer mix, I hope you feel heat-induced calm, tidal anticipation, and even a little danger...enjoy!
Inspired by the Beach Boys "I Know There's an Answer," I'm going to take a look at the question in rock. From "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" (answer: no) to "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" (answer: it's complicated) questions give artists ways to both push forward the narrative and to put the audience in a character's shoes. What follows are 15 prime examples of the inter-rock-ative (ha!).
Last month I wrote a review of Anaïs Mitchell's latest (fabulous) album, Young Man in America. I sent Anaïs a few questions about her work, past and present, and her place in the folk pantheon. Read on for her thorough, thoughtful answers!
Tip: Find a friend with a convertible, or a friend with one of those bikes with a fat sound system on it, and get Colleen Green's recently re-released Milo Goes to Compton. Wait for a sunny day, combine said friend's form of open-air transportation with the album, and cruise around town, maybe with some iced tea. Even if Colleen Green sings about down days (and being really stoned), her music comes purpose-built for forecasts above 75 degrees.
Got the winter's-over-but-not-quite blues, friends? Well, we're here with a bunch of clap-happy twee pop to jingle jangle and shoo dee doo that frown right off your face!
One of the funniest (read: most irritating and laughably asinine) consequences of reproductive-rights discussions is that the word "choice" has many, many, many more meanings than what a woman does with her own body, but the same word is used to apply to all of them. For those of you that don't remember Samantha Bee's perfect illustration on the Daily Show of how incredibly loaded the word choice has become, watch here. To sum up Sam's point, we all make choices. And we should! That's how life gets lived! So let's reclaim...decisions. No, wait, that's not quite right. It's like an alternative... What's the word I'm looking for?
Here is a BitchTapes dedicated to all sorts of choices, from your pro-choice friends at Bitch Media. Track list after the jump!
Iyadede starts off her album, The Demo, saying, "If you have this record in your hand most likely you are an eclectic individual and I salute you for that." The word eclectic could not be more appropriate for Iyadede; she has lived all over the world and uses these experiences as fuel for awesome electropop music.
Does anyone else organize their iTunes by season? Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell is the artist that got me started doing it, as no single album reminds me more of summer than her 2010 folk opera Hadestown. It's drenched in sunlight, warm voices, young love, and, as Kristin mentioned in her Preacher's Daughter series, a feminist perspective on Greek tragedy. Her latest album, Young Man in America, is spring; all births and unfoldings and discoveries, and an occasional dip back into winter dark. Point being, Mitchell is a songwriter for all seasons, one of young American folk music's best, and she's getting better and better.
You know that moment when you're singing along at the top of your lungs to a song on the radio and you look around at your friends in the car, only to realize that instead of joining in they're all staring at you in disbelief? And then they have to explain to you that, no, there's not a "bathroom on the right" in that CCR song, and you've been singing the lyrics wrong for YOUR ENTIRE LIFE? Those songs we've always heard wrong are called Mondegreens, and I've made a mix of 12 of them (crowdsourced around the office and on Facebook) for today's BitchTapes. Be sure to share your own Mondegreens in the comments—they are completely hilarious.
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