Wednesday Morning Playlist

Let's be real, this weekend was about Lemonade. This playlist is so random, forgive me, but my ears have eclectic needs. That's why it starts with Beyoncé, leads to Vampire Weekend (Ezra Koenig and Father John Misty made headlines this weekend for their minor credits in Lemonade), dives right into some current radio pop and ends up settling among some of my favorite songwriters.

1. Beyoncé, Formation (Explicit)
2. Beyoncé featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, ***Flawless
3. Vampire Weekend, Diplomat's Son
4. Carly Rae Jepsen, Run Away With Me (Patrick Stump Remix)
5. The Middle East, Blood
6. Ruth B, Lost Boy
7. Angus & Julia Stone, And the Boys
8. Gregory Alan Isakov, Amsterdam
9. Ben Howard, Old Pine
10. The Tallest Man On Earth, The Gardener

The linked videos for Blood and The Gardener are both KEXP performances. KEXP is a great place to discover new music and awesome performances!

On YouTube - Wednesday AM Playlist: April 27, 2016

"Cleopatra," The Lumineers

The 2016 follow-up, "Cleopatra," to The Lumineers' self-titled debut LP has arrived. The radio and mainstream success of the folk/soul-rock band has allowed them to remain relevant after four years of little in the ways of new music. The mainstream acceptance of the band seems to be because of instead of in spite of Wesley Schultz's oddly beautiful, intimate lead vocals. This intimacy comes through across "Cleopatra," and still remains bright and energetic.

I mentioned on my first Wednesday Morning Playlist that I've been craving upbeat music lately. "Cleopatra," for all of its simplicity and fun has been fulfilling this need for me. Yet the wistfulness and poeticism that draws me to quiet indie rock and folk never wavers. The radio-friendly "Ophelia" is just the tip of the iceberg.

Don't miss: "Sleep on the Floor," "Angela," and one of my all-time favorites, finally released, "Gun Song"

Wednesday Morning Playlist

I thought I'd continue Michael's habit of posting a playlist on Wednesdays. Mostly because he had already started it, and Wednesday is my morning on the Reference Desk. Which was probably why he also posted on Wednesdays. Anyways, it's felt particularly Spring-like over the last few days which has prompted a desire for upbeat music during my commute.

1. Cold War Kids, Hospital Beds
2. The Civil Wars, I've Got This Friend
3. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Home
4. Sia, Cheap Thrills
5. Taylor Swift, Style
6. The Weepies, Wild Boy
7. Jimmy Eat World, The Middle*
8. Alessia Cara, Wild Things
9. The Lumineers, Angela
10. Ben Gibbard, Carolina

*Because I, along with the rest of the internet, love Taylor's Apple Music ads. They've even made me consider subscribing to Apple Music. Almost, but not. I am a librarian after all.

On YouTube - Wednesday AM Playlist: April 20, 2016

Hello (from the other side)

Mural of famous movie stars on building, Los Angeles, California

I'm Larissa and I've been the Teen Librarian at the DFL since the beginning of the year. It's been a great experience so far, and I'm looking forward to all of the new adventures I'll get to go on — like taking over this blog from Michael as he departs onto a new adventure of his own.

Music has always been a part of my life, between growing up with a musical grandmother, and later being a part of my high school band. Now, I've settled into certain sounds and writers that truly speak to me. Some of my favorite bands and performers are City and Colour, Gabrielle Aplin, The Avett Brothers, Gregory Alan Isakov, The Weepies, William Fitzsimmons, Sufjan Stevens, and The Head and the Heart.

One of my best friends once told me that she didn't trust people that only liked one kind of music. And this stuck with me, so I try not to close myself off to music. This is part of why I also enjoy Taylor Swift and Adele, Frank Ocean and Chance the Rapper, and all sorts of other seemingly random music.

Movies have also been a natural obsession for me. I love stories, and I love a well-scripted film or show just as much. This is part of why my boyfriend and I became friends a few years ago. He studied film at art school and together we just completed production on a full-length documentary last summer. This mostly means I've spent more time in the last year making a movie than watching movies, but I'm excited to have more time to indulge, and this blog is as good an excuse as any.

I hope you'll keep reading, because I'm going to keep updating this based on what's going on and hitting the shelves at the DFL. Stay tuned!