Mixtape 25

Mixtape 25

I miss making you playlists for your disc drive, so I made you this. I know it’s not the same… but it’s the closest I can get. New mixtape monthly up on my spotify. Find me there at @jawnmo, and if you’re not on spotify, track list included here for you to burn to a cd and put in your 1996 jeep wrangler and turn up the volume. Have a nice weekend out there

About

This is a great summer playlist. When I wrote “Basic Bliss,” I was listening to this, trying to figure out how to make a song that would fit on this playlist in particular. Queen’s “Cool Cat” was really influential to me on that song. I just wanted to make something that felt like summer.

Some standout tracks from this are the excellent DJ Premier produced “ooh la la” by Run The Jewels, a little known Isley Brothers cover of a Stephen Stills song that comes off a fantastic album of covers, and Dua Lipa’s “Pretty Please,” which has the most fantastic slow-down before the chorus that I still can’t believe they pulled off so well.

Hidden Gems

Sweater - Spencer Sutherland

Spencer Sutherland has blown up in a big way since I put this song on here. I can’t claim all the credit, but I can say I was responsible for at least a few dozen streams on one of his lesser known songs here. The song is relatable to so many guys whose exes have stolen their favorite sweater. This song won me over from the start - “That’s my sweater - my sweater, why the fuck you got it on? We’re not together…”

Lonely - Swamp Dogg

This is such an unusual instrumentation. It feels like a classic soul song, like the writing would be dated if not for the heavy auto-tune on the vocals. Swamp Dogg is doing something really different with a genre that feels well-worn. He’s one of a few artists whose music has made me laugh out loud, and for the right reasons.

Belong In The Sun - Teo?, Lido

This is unusual instrumentation here, hard to pin down what to even call this genre. It feels like a latin bossa groove at the start, but the hip-hop leaning vocals confuse that fast, and then when the drums come in, it’s an even more interesting mismatch.

I Love Hot Nights - The Modern Lovers

I couldn’t tell for the longest time if I liked this song or if I hated it. Usually that passion is what makes me love a song in the end. Jonathan Richman is well-known for playing with The Velvet Underground, and that explains the odd Lou Reed style vocal delivery to me. What won me over in the end was the change of seasons - when Spring was wrapping up and Summer beginning, and we finally started to get some hot nights, I understood this song so well.

TRACKLIST

1. Sweater - Spencer Sutherland

2. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd

3. Belong in the Sun - Teo?, Lido

4. Dream in Colour - Franc Moody

5. Lonely - Swamp Dogg

6. ooh la la - Run The Jewels, El-P, Killer Mike, Greg Nice, DJ Premier

7. I Love Hot Nights - Jonathan Richman, The Modern Lovers

8. Cool Cat - Queen

9. 10% - KAYTRANADA, Kali Uchis

10. Love the One You're With - The Isley Brothers

11. Soltarlo - Claudia Gomez

12. Pretty Please - Dua Lipa

13. Guilty - Lady Wray

14. Mary - The Maneken

15. Stay High - Brittany Howard

16. Free Ride - Nick Drake

17. Started Out - Georgia

18. Summer Girl - HAIM

19. I Got Love - Bobby Oroza, Cold Diamond & Mink

20. Ene Nyama 'A' Mensuro - Pat Thomas, Ebo Taylor