BitchTapes

My sisters and I grew up listening to tons of great music together (Hannah is already on her way to being a famous guitarist and singer at 17!). So it was an obvious choice for us to get together and do a Bitchtapes when our sister, Jesse, came to visit us from Austin. What better topic than songs about sisters, brothers, and sibling relations? Track list after the jump!

Prompted by our Red issue, I bring you a sampling of fiery, scarlet songs for your listening pleasure.



Track listing after the jump!

I try not to read magazines like People and US Weekly too often; I don't want my money, attention, or time supporting the creeps that hang out in Angelina Jolie's bushes. But there is, pretty undeniably, a facet to human nature that likes to gossip, likes to know secrets, and likes to read between the lines. Instead of threatening the safety of overpaid, spoiled Hollywood types to get my scoop, though, I prefer to listen to music and create (or support) outrageous backstories about the musicians' lives. Some of the songs on this list are legendary already because of what they're allegedly about, but some of them are my own version of E! True Hollywood Story. Or VH1's Behind the Music. Or VH1 Storytellers. Or even MTV's Making the Video, which was always my favorite of the bunch, because it involved hi-tech gadgets and storyboards. If you've got stories (the more detailed and/or outlandish, the better) for your favorite music to share, leave 'em in the comments! Track list after the jump!

For all of its progressive-leaning, status-quo-breaking, norm-shattering tendencies, punk rock still looks like a white boy's club. Even after all of these years, the largest punk record of the year (Fucked Up's David Comes to Life) was played by a band with one woman! There are also five other white dudes in that band! So let's go back and look through the punk canon, find the overlooked bands and remind everyone that you don't need to be white or a male to be punk.

I've been thinking a lot about my home this week, and by association the many emotions that thoughts of home brings—happiness and coziness and fun, as well as the heavier stuff, or even the feeling of lacking a home at all. Here's a wide-ranging soundtrack to accompany mental meanderings of home—some of my favorites, and some picks from the rest of the Bitch crew.

Track list after the jump!

Sure, Poison may have had a hit with "Every Rose Has its Thorn," and the Portlander in me will always love Elliott Smith's "Rose Parade," but no other genre pays tribute to music's favorite flower quite like country. So, without further ado, here's a mix of classic country crooners singing their rose-studded hits. Track list after the jump!

It's time to make the most of what's left of the summer. I'm thinking bike rides, swimming pools, a quick camping trip, or half napping/half reading a book in the park.  Let's say I was going to road trip out to the nearest water park (maybe!), this just might be my soundtrack. What's on yours?

It's no secret that musicians often die far too quickly. In this Only the Good Die Young, Part II mix, I recognize some of the artists we've lost in the past twenty years (a few of whom even sang about early death). All we can do is miss them.

Track list after the jump!

My friend Nicole and I commiserated over her recent break-up last night. We talked, we ate, we imbibed…..but most importantly, we had a rock-off with YouTube, our mp3 collections, and every break-up song we knew – the good, the bad, the ugly, our favorites, and some must-have suggestions from the rest of the Bitch crew. (Some classics, like Phil Collins' "Against All Odds," were vetoed due to Nicole’s sense of pride. I mean, the break-up wasn’t that bad!) Before long, we developed a 3rd installation of BitchTapes breakup songs. Without further ado...

 

To this day I still pooh-pooh Obsession cologne, but continue to love all that 80s mood music. Here’s to the haunting lyrics, heavy snyths, and syncopated bass rifts of my youth. May the mood be with you. Track list after the jump!