BitchTapes

Conversational song has to be one of the most overlooked music genres ever, next to songs that mimic whale noises and songs that have no rhyming whatsoever. More than just duets and trios, these songs feature singers responding to one another in verse and usually a recognizable narrative arc. These are great songs to listen to if you are feeling alone or want to have an awesome sing-along with a friend (or two). Track listing after the jump!

Lots of songs are slow, but to recall the awkward, needlessly dramatic tradition of the junior or senior high school "slow dance," tunes need to have several additional qualities for me:

• They must speak of a love most intense and cinematic.
• They must have a late-'90s sensibility, regardless of when they were actually recorded.
• They must sound just... so pretty, despite my initial desire to dislike them out of cynicism.

Tracks and space for your own jams after the jump!

I'm reading Woman on the Edge of Time for the Bitch Book Club (which meets next Tuesday night, if you're in the Portland area!), and it's got me thinking about the future. Most of it's not that bright-looking. Humans might be wrecking the planet, and nuclear catastrophe is one red button away. But then I thought: it's almost SUMMER here in the Northern Hemisphere! A future that's about to give us a couple months of sunshine, no matter how much other terrifying stuff it might hold, can't be all bad, right?! Plus, if futuristic music is any indication, at least we'll be groovin' toward apocalypse. This week's BitchTapes is full of music before its time.

This week's BitchTapes is comprised of songs devoted to historical figures!



Playlist & more after the jump!

Overheard at the bar last week: "The thing is, I'm just REALLY not into female singers." Well, here are 13 tracks including music by Bebel Gilberto, Césaria Évora, and France Gall, that show how much you're REALLY missing out. These international ladies really know how to, ¿cómo se dice? ROCK.

Track list after the jump!

Ever wonder how singles are chosen? All of these female or female-led artists have found success... but not, strangely, with these songs. This week on BitchTapes, listen to the hits that should have been.

Track list and space for your own faves after the jump!

This week's BitchTapes: Songs about Mom. Some sweet. Some blue. Some good. Some true.

Track list after the jump!

When I was a teen, my mom would (jokingly?) advise me to tell boys who got too fresh that I was saving myself for Prince William and thus needed to preserve my virgin status. Though it never came to that, I've always had a soft spot for His Royal Cuteness, and I even tried to stay up last night to watch the live wedding coverage (I fell asleep somewhere in between Kate getting out of the Rolls and the "I will" portion of the ceremony). Since the wedding mix has been done already, I figured a royal-themed BitchTapes was in order to commemorate things. Prince William, this one's for you.



Track list after the jump!

All you fair-weather cyclists, dust off your helmet and put on your finest spandex shorts. It's biking season!

Tracklist after the jump.

Freestyle, house, reggae, electronica... what do the subcategories of dance music have in common? Terrific female artists, for one! Welcome to a '90s-heavy BitchTape for a party, a pre-party, or just an empty office! Track list and space for your own jams after the jump.