Playlist | Styrofoam Coffee Cups

Having not put out a playlist for quite some time, I thought I’d quickly compile a longer (than usual) one. Consider it the ‘summer edition’ playlist.

• Bittersweet – Kanye West ft. John Mayer | It’s a song that I’ve waited a pretty long time to hear. Clips of it have been released as far back as a year ago and the lyrics were performed by Kanye as a poem on Def Poetry a few years ago. It’s a really good track and collaboration between two of my favorite artists. Although I’m not sure if it will appear on the international “Graduation” album to be released on September 11th, 2007, but I according to wikipedia it’s a bonus track on the Japanese album. I’m really looking forward to the album, with the first two singles, Can’t Tell Me Nothing and Stronger, having had a lot of play on my iPod for a month and a half now. If you’re having trouble finding Bittersweet, try YouTube.
• Umbrella – Rihanna ft. Jay Z (Travis Barker Rock Remix) | Drums with a distorted guitar backing up a song that’s been remixed to death? Definitely the best “umbrella” remix out there.
• Born Losers – Matthew Good | This is the first single from Matt Good’s latest album, Hospital Music. I’ve been a Good fan for eight years now with an old song of his, Strange Days, being the main reason for me to by a CD player, just to listen to it. Hospital Music is a bit different. My first impression was that it wasn’t as solid as the older albums, especially Beautiful Midnight and his solo album Avalanche. Although I’ve only been listening for about 3 days, so it hasn’t all sunk in. It’s more folksy, more unusually country, much more acoustic, much more unplugged, with the usual powerful poetic lyrics one comes to expect of Good. So far, Born Losers has been absolutely great (and lyrically addictive) as well as tracks like 99% Of Us Is Failure, The Boy Come Home, and Black Helicopter.
• Sleep – Azure Ray | First heard during The Devil Wears Prada. An absolutely great (and sleepy) song.
• Wolf Like Me – TV on the Radio | A song that is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s really addictive. According to wikipedia: “The song’s meaning has a few different interpretations; some believing it to be a pornographic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, with the protagonist, the wolf, a paying customer to Red Riding Hood, the prostitute.” I just thought it was supposed to be metaphorical.
• Hunger Strike – Temple of a Dog | Before there was Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Audioslave, Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell made this wicked song, Hunger Strike. It’s the equivalent of an acoustic political protest song.

Also in rotation:

Brick – Ben Folds Five
Still Fighting It – Ben Folds
American Baby – Dave Matthews
Music for a Nurse – Oceansize
Suddenly I See – K.T. Tunstall
Hey There Delilah (instrumental) – Plain White T’s