Playlists – Teen Blog

Tag: Playlists

Bebo Playlists

On Friday, 18 December, 2009

In music and other nice noises

Have you been wondering what ever happened to the playlists that used to be at the end of every new music post? Well, they’ve been moved over to our new bebo page (that’s right, we have a bebo page, why not add us?), in the ilike box over to the right. This week it’s a Glee filled playlist, as it seems to be everyone’s favourite at the moment.

While I’m here I’ll remind you to get your votes and reviews in for your favourite albums of 2009, post them in the comments here. There’s going to be a “year end music spectacular” mega post created using you input going up sometime after Christmas, so look forward to that.

New Musical Express

On Friday, 23 October, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Apparently Cobra Starship frontman Gabe Saporta went on a spirit quest into the Arizona desert. There he found his true purpose in life was to “…[teach] hipsters to not take themselves so seriously and by telling emo kids to stop being pussies.” Apparently you do this by contributing to the Snakes On A Plane soundtrack, achieving dance-punk fame [via. MTV] and releasing an album called Hot Mess. Apparently.

Sum 41 seem to have amassed enough hits to put out a best of compilation, All the good sh** : 14 solid gold hits (2000-2008) is that very album. And indeed it does include all their biggest hits including billboard number 1, Fat Lip. Bratty mall-punk abounds.

Missy Elliott’s pal Jazmine Sullivan released the long awaited (she started performing aged 11) Fearless last year. It was a fine debut by all accounts, pick it up from here if you haven’t yet listened to the rising R&B star.

Janelle Monae’s first album has been delux-ified and Metropolis : the chase suite : special edition is the result. It’s a concept e.p. detailing the life of a rebellious soul-equipped android who risks disassembly by falling in love with a human. If you enjoy Andre 3000’s soul wackiness you are advised to issue this. Do it.

New music is what we have

On Friday, 28 August, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

La Roux means “red-haired one” in French – this is a good name for them since singer Elly Jackson has red hair. They’ve been topping the UK charts for a few months now with an impressive run of 80’s synth-pop inspired singles and have now released La Roux, their self-titled debut.

French electro-rockers Phoenix have been around for a while now, but recent release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix sees them mastering their craft and conjuring up some of the catchiest pop of the year. If you dig MGMT and Empire Of The Sun, pick this record up.

Fantasy Ride, Ciara’s third is the type of album that will get plenty of play in the clubs this upcoming summer. Guests include Justin Timberlake and MIssy Elliott, the production is supremely glossy and the grooves danceable. Also included is a DVD where you can watch Ciara in the studio and at rehearsals and things.

Blindspott broke up in 2007 to focus on solo commitments playing a final set to a sold out Powerstation, this show has now been released on a handy dandy CD + DVD combo as Sold out: live @ Powerstation, for everyone who wasn’t there, or wants to relive the night. As expected from Blindspott, it’s a largely shouty, noisy affair. It also works as a sort of greatest hits package if you want it to do that to.

Just two, but they’re good.

On Thursday, 20 August, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Jack White is a prolific man. If his bandmates aren’t ready to release any new material he simply forms a new band and presses on. Dead Weather being active band number three, with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs being the other two. Dead Weather is somewhat of a departure for White, who is banging the drums instead of strumming the guitar on this record. On Horehound, the bands debut, he shares vocal duties with Allison Mosshart (of the Kills), with Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack Lawrence (Raconteurs and Greenhornes) rounding out the group. If you’ve ever enjoyed any of the above bands, or even just Rock music in general give Horehound a listen.

The Gossip emerged out of the Nu-Rave scene spearheaded by The Klaxons in 2006 with Standing In The Way Of Control and now return with their new long-player Music For Men. Lead by outspoken front-woman Beth Ditto, it’s more of the same adventurously aggressive, neon-coloured electro-pop.

Even More Metal

On Saturday, 25 July, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Metalheads rejoice! A whopping two-thirds of the new CDs this week feature loud guitars and shouty vocals. Beatles fans and Tiki Taane fans can also rejoice, but not quite as much.

Master of Puppetsis considered by many as Metallica’s masterpiece and one of the, if not the greatest metal album of all time. Your parents may not consider it a masterpiece if you play it loud enough, and really, isn’t that the point?

Metallica’s next album …And Justice For All, realeased in 1988 (so too old to have a YA card anymore) saw them break-through on MTV with the video for One. My first memory of Metallica was seeing One on Beavis and Butthead, which means I’m far too old to have a YA card anymore.

Metallica, or the Black Album as it is is commonly referred to due to the black cover, was the one that made Metallica into proper mainstream stars. It includes quite a few big hits like Enter Sandman and slow-dance favourite (at least if you go to bogan schools) Nothing Else Matters.

Before he was a tragic figure on a reality show Ozzy Osbourne cranked out a few top-notch metal albums, the fantastically titled Blizzard Of Ozz being the first of his solo efforts. A cornerstone of 80’s metal.

Diary Of A Madman came next for Ozzy Osbourne in 1981. Building on his previous success, this classic album turned Ozzy into a star. Biting the heads off bats and other craziness would follow…

AC/DC are another classic metal band who operated in the 80s. Highway To Hell was their best record to date and also their most well recieved to date. Includes the classic single Highway To Hell.

A couple of Beatles compilations have turned up, 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, also known as the Red and Blue albums respectively. These are pretty much the definitive Beatles compilations to seek out if you don’t feel like picking up the million or so albums they made.

Flux / Tiki by Tiki Taane has turned up. It’s a remix job for the Past, present, future album and includes a song called David Lange You Da Bomb!, which confused me initially until I realised that David Lange probably was our most rockin’ PM.

Even More Metal

Metal, Soundtracks, Local

On Friday, 17 July, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Metallica are one of the biggest and longest tenured bands in metal and it all started here on Kill ‘Em All, their 1983 debut record. It’s also probably their fastest and rawest album, if you enjoyed the more recent Death Magnetic then this is right up your alley.

Sticking with metal for a while longer, there is a new Iron Maiden compilation out. Somewhere back in time : the best of 1980-1989 arguably finds the band at their peak. Includes Run to the Hills, Number of the Beast and other headbanging classics.

The Datsuns recently released album number four, Headstunts, and now it’s joined the YA collection. If you’ve ever enjoyed The Datsuns in the past, or are a fan of The White Stripes, The Libertines etc. then pick this one up.

Sate Of Mind are a local drum and bass group who’ve been making waves recently with Faster Than Light. It also comes with a bonus disc of remixes, so, bonus.

Transformers : revenge of the fallen : the album is the soundtrack to the newly released Transformers movie. Green Day, Nickleback, Linkin Park and other similar bands are featured.

Lastly, Hannah Montana : the movie also has a soundtrack that’s been added to the collection. If you’re a fan of Miley’s go out and pick this one up post haste.

metal, soundtracks, local

So Many CDs

On Tuesday, 23 June, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

12 new CDs this week, so here is a marathon post and a marathon playlist. Phew.

If you’re a fan of MGMT and their work, have a listen to Empire Of The Sun’s really ace Walking On A Dream. Also they wear really silly costumes, which is always a nice bonus.

The Rakes’ third album Klang is here. If you enjoy Interpol, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and all that sort of thing, then The Rakes are right up your alley.

Punk Popsters Plain White T’s Big Bad World has arrived. I think they have a new one coming shortly, so get caught up with this beforehand… If you want to that is.

Released in 1973 Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon is one of those albums that always pops up in top 100 all time lists. Come get it from here if you can’t find it amongst your parents collection.

More CDs and playlist after the jump…

New YA CDs

On Wednesday, 20 May, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

The new music is coming in thick and fast these days. I’ve seldom seen it thicker or faster.

Keri Hilson is described by allmusic.com as a dynamic singer songwriter. These dynamic skills have been used to write songs for the likes of Usher, Ludacris and Kelly Rowland, and now on her own album In A Perfect World.

Destroy all lines : dance floor anthems is a compilation for all you cats out there who like dancing to anthemic hits on floors. If that’s you then you’re in luck, because it’s a whopping two-disc affair.

Remember Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad? Yes, of course you do. Well, now I’d like to introduce you to Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes. A good stop-gap between Rihanna albums proper.

Platinum emo-poppers Paramore have a new live album entitled The Final Riot. All your favorite Paramore tunes being sung along to by an arena full of kids. Close your eyes and pretend you’re there.

Local Hip-Hopper Savage is back in time for New Zealand Music Month with Savage Island. I can only assume that this is a concept album based on some sort of Survivor type show hosted by Savage. At least I hope so …

21st Century Breakdown is the new, soon-to-be inescapably huge album from Green Day. It’s divided into three acts because they’re so big and important they transcend the regular album format. Golly!

New music, and playlists return!

On Tuesday, 12 May, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

We have 6 new CDs, but more exciting than that (for me anyway) is the return of embedded playlists! This time we’re using deezer.com; it’s cool, stylish and most importantly it works with our firewalls. Anyway, on with the new music…

Evermore return with album number two, Truth of the world : welcome to the show. It’s a very grandiose title, perhaps befitting the ambitious sounds within.

Another New Zealand CD is Optimus Gryme’s Eclipse LP. Do you think Optimus Gryme is a rival of The Decepticonz? Do we have a local rap war on our hands ala West Coast vs East Coast circa mid-nineties US? Stay tuned, kids.

J. Dilla was a much beloved hip hop producer before his untimely passing in 2006. Dillanthology is a greatest hits of sorts featuring Common, Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes and more.

The-Dream is one of those big, multi-platinum R&B types from the US. His album Love VS Money features other big, multi-platinum R&B types, such as Kanye West and Mariah Carey. If you are a fan of big, multi-platinum R&B types you know what to do.

Alter Ego is a new mixtape from Kanye West. On it are remixes, live versions and other little goodies not seen on albums prev. A Kanye completist’s dream.

Hip Hop: the 2009 collection has a rather self-explanatory title. Hip Hop from 1992-2009 spread across 2 discs. Includes Akon, LL Cool J, Rihanna and a whole lot more.

Discover De La Soul!

This New Music We Have

On Friday, 20 March, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Three new CDs this week. If you want them, now you can issue them. Yay!

First is Old Skool Summer Jams, a 2 disc compilation of classic hip-hop and R&B tracks with a summery feel from 1988-2002. Included are The Fresh Prince, Naughty By Nature, TLC, Coolio and a bunch of other stuff to help squeeze the remaining fun out of the pretty much over summer.

Sound Of The Overground is another compilation, this time from 2004-2008. It’s a mix designed for dancing to and includes tracks by Ladyhawke (whom I adore), Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and many more.

We also have Lily Allen’s new album It’s Not Me, It’s You. Expect more of her tongue in cheek pop cheekiness and hit after hit. I just listened to it and it’s ace. We also have her previous one here if you haven’t already listened.

Music. New Music.

On Tuesday, 10 March, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Miley Cyrus, the wildly popular daughter of Billy-Ray Cyrus (remember him? possibly not, but he was responsible for the world going line-dance crazy for a brief period in the 90’s) and star of Hannah Montana has gone platinum. So here is Breakout: Platinum Edition.

Tha 411 3 bills itself as “18 monster new tracks from the global urban directory”. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then good, because we have a cup of tea for you. Includes Nelly, Usher, Alicia Keys, Bow Wow and other similar Top 40 bothering songsters.

And finally, local hip-hoppers The Fast Crew return with Truth, Lies and Red Tape. You might remember them from 2004, when they released Set The Record Straight.

Rainbow Playlist

On Saturday, 28 February, 2009

In music and other nice noises

One of the only good things about rainy days (like this one) is the possibility of seeing a rainbow. Today I’ve put together the perfect soundtrack for rainbow watching because I can’t go outside. Each colour is represented by a song (apart from pesky old indigo which has a band name instead). Enjoy!

New CDs and a list you can play

On Saturday, 21 February, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

We have new music. Yay!

allmusic.com describes Basshunter as a Swedish computer nerd and his first album called LOL <(^^,)> would seem to indicate that this is accurate. He’s back with Now You’re Gone: The Album for another round of homemade Euro-Dance silliness.

British pop trio Sugababes have just released a sixth album which must make them one of the most enduring girl groups ever. It’s called Catfights and Spotlights and easily ranks among their best.

Friendly Fires scored a big hit in the blogosphere last year when their song Paris was remixed by Aeroplane. Now comes their debut album Friendly Fires with more of the same fun dance-rock that shot them to prominence.

If you’ve turned on a TV at all in the last few weeks you’ll have realised that Fall Out Boy are touring. They’ll be here to support their latest, entitiled Folie a Deux. Fans will love it.

And lastly, if you need to chill out during these troublesome back to school days, pick up Chillout Sessions XI. Stress relief is practically guaranteed.

More New Music Y’all

On Thursday, 12 February, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

A whopping eight new CDs this week. Here they are …

Fleet Foxes are here with their self-titled debut album, Fleet Foxes. Pitchfork loved it so much it was their album of 2008. Delightful indie-pop for fans of The Shins and their ilk.

Lady Gaga is making a splash with The Fame. She says she is influenced by Madonna and Michael Jackson, it shows because she makes dance-pop in a similar vein.

One of my favorites, Ladyhawke, has made it into the YA collection with her debut Ladyhawke. She’s from New Zealand and has generated quite a lot of buzz overseas with her Blondie-esque pop. Highly recommended.

We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz is also in. Mraz is one of those singer-songwriter types with an acoustic guitar, this, his third album is considered my many his best work to date.

Jennifer Hudson was a contestant on the third season of American Idol and also had a role in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. Quite the star. Another self-titled debut called (duh) Jennifer Hudson.

Bic Runga has released a rarities collection called Try To Remember Everything: Rare And Unreleased. Fans of this local lass will surely be pleased with this compilation of her harder to find work.

Art-Rockers Franz Ferdinand are back with Tonight… Franz Ferdinand. Another effortlessly cool collection of songs from the Glaswegian quartet.

Duffy’s Rockferry has gotten a deluxe re-release. It now comes with seven extra bonus tracks housed on a second CD. <3 bonuses <3

Yet More New CDs

On Wednesday, 4 February, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Another week, another pile of new music to issue. Here we go …

The Black Kids debut album Partie Traumatic is a CD to party (partie) to. Hopefully not traumatically. I’ve seen pictures and only two of them are black, how wackily misleading.

Craig David has a greatest hits album out, called Greatest Hits. Included are all the hits that he deems his greatest.

Remember Cher’s song Life After Love, where she had that crazy autotune effect on her voice in the chorus? T-Pain has done it for two whole albums now and the latest is called Thr33 Ringz. I expect this will be wildy popular, so listen to it here first.

Britney Spears has somehow found the time to make a new album called Circus and it seems like her return to form may be continuing. Includes all manner of dancey pop.

Kanye West tries the autotuned singing thing on his new one entitled 808s & Heartbreak. People seem to either love this or hate it with no middle ground. Personally I’m in the former camp, try it out and see where you stand.

Akon is back with Freedom. What’s up with all the funny voiced R&B this week? If you’re an Akon fan you’ll enjoy this a lot.

Panic At The Disco have a live album out called Live In Chicago. If you’ve enjoyed their studio albums, but have never managed to get to a concert you could close your eyes and pretend. All the hits are included.

Remember you can visit the Teen Blog imeem page to listen to all previous playlists. You could also sign up for your own profile and add us as a friend.

… And One More

On Tuesday, 27 January, 2009

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Another CD just came down from Cataloguing, conveniently too late for the last new music post. So here he is, all by himself, Robin Thicke with Something Else. Did you know that his father Alan Thicke was on the sitcom Growing Pains? Let’s hope this album doesn’t cause any listening pains. Aren’t I funny? In other Thicke trivia, did you also know he won a Grammy for his work on Usher’s Confessions?

Holiday Time!

On Tuesday, 6 January, 2009

In music and other nice noises

Here are some songs with the word Holiday in the title – if for no other reason than it’s summer and therefore time to go on holiday. Where are you all going this year? I’m going to Huntly. Choice!

If you’re not going away this summer then why not come into the Library, issue some CDs, then play them to your family in a small hot room for a few hours – that way it’ll feel like you’ve been on a roadtrip. Anyway, you can find Green Day, Madonna and Atomic Kitten in our collection.

Here is some new music.

On Thursday, 18 December, 2008

In music and other nice noises, new stuff (ooh, shiny!)

Some new CDs have appeared on our ‘new music that needs to be blogged about shelf’, so I will blog about them for your enjoyment.

First up is Ne-Yo with Year of the Gentleman. He is wearing some very sharp suits on the cover and the tunes inside are the sort of cutting edge R&B you would expect from him. Great job Ne-Yo.

Next on the pile is another sharp-suited R&B man; Lloyd with Lessons in Love and he wears an impressive studded jacket on his cover. Lil’ Wayne drops by for a guest appearance too.

Estelle’s The 18th Day brings us more R&B, but this time from a female perspective. This one actually came out in 2004, but it’s new to the library and quite good.

Christina Aguilera has a greatest hits out called Keeps Gettin’ Better, A Decade Of Hits. I would like to respectfully disagree with her on the title, in my opinion at least ‘Genie in a Bottle’ cannot be bettered. All the faves are included here.

Local lads The Tutts’ new one Get in the Club is here for some Rock if all the R&B listed above isn’t your thing. They were the ones who did that song on the C4 ads.

Oh look! What’s this? It’s a playlist made so you can listen to songs off the albums I just wrote about. How handy. Check out our imeem page for all our playlists.

Our first playlist!

On Thursday, 11 December, 2008

In music and other nice noises

This is the first in what will be a weekly feature on the Teen Blog. Every week I will find some cool songs to add to our new imeem.com account and you can listen to them. Sometimes there will be a theme (like this week which is based on our best albums of 2008 list) other times it will just be stuff I like. Think of it as a try-before-you-issue type thing. Or just some background noise. Anyway, enjoy …