Jumping out of winter and into spring means starting fresh, and this begins with your home. Many see cleaning as the most mundane of all tasks but here’s a Spring Cleaning playlist to help liven things up! You might as well dance as you clean, right?
1) Freaks and Geeks – Childish Gambino
When I’m cleaning, I become possessed by the spirits of both Tupac and Biggie and think I’m some kind of reincarnated rap goddess. This is my favourite song to rap along to, especially if nobody is home and I can use my spray bottle as a mic.
Best for: getting into the cleaning mood, doing your audition tape for Young Money.
2) Are You That Somebody – Aaliyah
I also enjoy dancing while I clean and as a wee youth I had the choreography from this video memorised. I’ve realised that I still know about 50 per cent of the moves (coincidence because my middle name is Alia? I think not!) and always decide that I should try them, especially if I am in the bathroom where the lighting is good.
Best for: cleaning grout, performing for yourself in the mirror.
3) Chocolate – The 1975
I’m obsessed with this song and have been trying to find a way to jam it into this column for ages (seriously, I think all the YouTube views might just be me. You’re welcome, The 1975!) I have a recurring iPod fever dream where I am the lead singer of a band which has the popularity of One Direction but the credibility of an indie band. Yes, it’s very elaborate; I don’t expect non-insane people to understand. Annyway, this song is our lead single and we perform it on talk-show stages which are actually my bathroom. The moral of this story is that a fun fantasy actually makes cleaning super fun and rewarding, even if the rewards are entirely in your mind.
Best for: making cleaning way less boring.
4) Scream & Shout – will.i.am and Britney Spears
What’s the deal with Britney in this song? Is she British? Why is she British? This in-depth analysis has led to me listening to this song an alarming number of times and is perfect at distracting me from some of my most hated jobs. Grossed out by the hair that has been living in your U bend? Just put this song on and Brit’s dulcet faux-English tones will take you to your happy place (unless you’re me and find bad accents displeasing).
Best for: doing gross out jobs such as removing hair from various place and having to decide which of your treasured cat sweaters should be given to charity.
5) F—kin Problems – A$AP Rocky ft. Drake and 2 Chainz
March is approaching which means this infernal, unending winter is almost over (I hope). March is also the time when most youths get a week off school and can jet to exotic locals that contain beaches and/or a lot of alcohol. But even if you’re not luckily enough to spend a week getting alcohol poisoning in the sun, you can still have a fun time at home. Fill your bedroom with sand and pretend you’re at the beach, or if your parents/roommates/cats object to that (as I am most certain that they will) turn up this playlist and jam out to these island-ish tunes while you spend every day of your break on Tumblr.
1) Island in the Sun – Weezer
To me, this is the quintessential vacation song. It just conjures images of floating around a pool with sunglasses on, while being fed grapes by some male servants (…or something like that, I definitely haven’t thought about it that much…). It’s also a great uplifting track to make you feel better when it’s March and it seems like the sun may never surface again.
Best for: starting the week, reminding yourself that you’re on vacation.
2) All Eyes on You – St. Luica
You might know this song from a recent series of Victoria’s Secret ads, but it was my official song of Summer 2012 (“I knew it before it was cool,” she said pretentiously). There’s just something so relaxed in the tone of this song, I think it’s perfect for unwinding during your at home vacation. You can bop your head enthusiastically while dancing around your kitchen as you eat Oreos or some similar domestic activity.
Best for: going to the pretty beach in your head
3) Cake – Toro y Moi
For me, vacations from school are doubly relaxing because I get to have the house to myself as everyone else slumps their way to work. I frequently use this alone time to play music obnoxiously loud while dancing/eating/instagramming. Toro y Moi is one of the reigning kings of chillwave and this track off his latest album “Anything In Return” is one of my favourite booty shakers.
Best for: pretending you’re in a Harlem Shake video but with better music.
4) Feel It All Around – Washed Out
You’re going to need some seriously relaxing tunes for this break. After all, you lead a stressful life. I mean, all those books about medieval England didn’t just read themselves this semester did they (full disclosure: I didn’t even read them. LOL)? Dedicate one day of your break to wearing a onesie all day, reading books, and drinking tea and/or the caffeinated beverage of your choosing and play this song while you do it. Whenever I hear this, a movie-like montage runs through my head: sitting on the counter boiling water, scratching a cat’s ears while you read, napping peacefully while your hair fans out like a halo around your head (I may watch too many movies). Feel the relaxation all around.
Best for: being a sluggish as humanly possible.
5) Domino – Jessie J Read more…
If you are not interested in the Academy Awards and were less then enthused with the Grammy Awards, perhaps the British Shockwave NME Awards will be more up your alley.
NME is a British music taste-making magazine much like Rolling Stone. The magazine covers everything from mainstream pop to indie bands.
Canadian band, Arcade Fire and British band, Foals lead the nominations this year. The award show also promises live music from My Chemical Romance and Foo Fighters.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Best British Band:
Arctic Monkeys
Biffy Clyro
Foals
Kasabian
Muse
Best International Band:
Arcade Fire
Kings Of Leon
My Chemical Romance
The Drums
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend, Beck, Of Montreal and Noah and the Whale are among the artists who are set to appear on an upcoming Haiti benefit album, reports NME.com.
“Hear To Help,” a collaboration between Filter Magazine and American Eagle, will raise money for Oxfam America’s Haitian relief effort.
The CD will be sold through American Eagle stores in North America for $10, and an online version will be released tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 24) from AE.com.
Check out the “Hear to Help” track list:
They’ve toured the U.S. and Europe without even having released one album — but that’s about to change.
After months of hype, Vampire Weekend is finally unleashing its self-titled debut in stores on Jan. 29, where it’s sure to be met by high expectations.
“I feel like a lot of people have heard of us, starting in the summer, and they’ve been writing about a speculative way,” bassist Chris Baio told Billboard recently. “Maybe they’ve only heard three MP3s or seen us live. I think we’ve all been pretty anxious to have it out there.”
The New Yorkers’ sound has been described as indie rock with an Afro-Caribbean vibe akin to Paul Simon’s “Graceland.”
Their recent tours through the U.S. and Europe gave the band a chance to road-test most of the tracks on their debut.
“I think this version represents our full sound,” Baio says. “There were some sections where drum parts were changed; some vocals might have been redone, and I re-recorded bass for one song. Little touch-ups [like] that might not make a difference to most listeners but made a difference to us.
“We’ve had most of these songs out for over a year,” he continued. “We have one full new song that we play live that’s going to be on the next album. Maybe [we'll] do an EP in between the two albums. We just need to figure out what our tour commitments are. We’ve definitely been talking about [recording], though.”
Vampire Weekend will stop by Toronto on Feb. 11 for a show at the Horseshoe Tavern, and in Vancouver on March 27 at Richard’s On Richards.
They will also swing by Austin, Texas in mid-March to play at the South By Southwest Music Festival.
