So. I like making playlists. But I’m usually at odds for inspiration, so… Here’s a running list. I’ll probably update this via reblog as time goes along. It’d be rad for people to add to this too.
Alternate Reality Hits: Songs that should have been hits but didn’t make the charts, or maybe weren’t even released as a single… And boy, did the record label fuck that up big time. Can be Top 40 or within that artist’s respective genre.
Not All Trends Are Bad: Songs from bands that were part of a “collective” movement, mainstream or underground. Try to dig deep with this one. If you want to go ska don’t stop at the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Less Than Jake, and/or Save Ferris. Dig a bit deeper. And for added fun? Add commentary about each artist and why they were the “torchbearers” and why others might not have been quite as loved by fans.
Where Are They Now?: Songs from bands that you used to like in high school and/or college. The only catch? The record has to have been released within the last X years. No old material.
For Fans Of XXXX: Songs from artists that people who like Band X might dig too.
Blink And You Missed It: Bands who went (in your opinion) woefully under the radar while they existed, and broke-up before anybody else could really give a shit despite their greatness.
Teen Movie Soundtracks (Circa Now): Remember those teen movie soundtracks loaded to the brim with songs that reaked of puberty and angst? Usually a snapshot of what was “hot” in just about right under the radar youth culture at the time. The Breakfast Club, Angus, American Pie, Clueless… Okay. Maybe I’m skewed to the 90s. Sue me. Well, come up with a plot. And make a soundtrack of your own. To really challenge yourself here: Try to keep it to songs released within a 2-3 year timeframe.
Anthems: Your own personal anthems. Songs that inspire you, make you want to take on the world, kick a police officer in the groin, kiss that person, etc.
New Jersey: Because there’s so many fucking songs about it, and yet it somehow doesn’t feel as played out as New York or Los Angeles. One caveat, though: No Springsteen.
Best of [Record Label]: Pick a record label. Curate a list of songs spanning their entire catalog. And hey, if you want to kick it old school? Again, keep it to songs spanning a 2-3 year timeframe and pretend it’s one of those $5 record label samplers from like, 1997.
Gateway Drugs: Bands that were the first of a variety of genres that led you to a land of greatness.