One of my biggest tasks for this weekend is going to be putting together a little dinner party playlist for next week. Stress!!! I think music at a party totally sets the tone, and if you get it wrong, it can reallllly throw things off. Looking at my itunes library, I realized I’m in desperate need of some new additions! So I’m askin’…
What are your favorite summer tunes right now?
For laying by the pool, or running around town? For lazy weekend mornings, or late summer nights?
And of course… for dinner parties!? Would love your suggestions, my music lovin’ friends!
*images by alexi lubomirski for H&M magazine
Hi Cassandra,
I listen to music most of my waking hours – it’s really important to me. This summer, I’m really into lounge music, such as Mel Torme. I love listening to it while I clean – it motivates me and gets me going.
thanks marie!! i will have to check out mel torme!
hi cassandra! i love lana del rey right now, especially ‘summer sadness’ and ‘born to die’.
good luck!
ps–you spelled desperate incorrectly.
thanks rachel! man, where’s spellcheck when you need it!? fixed
I just went to a pool party and they played a ton of fun ’80s music! It kept the mood light.
I throw on some Erykah Badu for every occasion. Best soul-bohemian tunes EVER!
I love the group Beach House for fun summer music… I’m also really into sing-along ballads for the car right now. “Turning Page” by Sleeping at Last, “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz and “Sail” by AWOLNATION are current faves.
I still like the Tanlines album Mixed Emotions to throw on…plus Fitz and the Tantrums Pickin’ Up the Pieces album from a couple of years ago has a couple of nice ones…
Oh, and always have the Talking Heads on “This Must be the Place” and “Nothing But Flowers” are happy songs with summertime beats, I think.
Marina and the Diamonds! Her whole album Electra Heart is fun pop that’s perfect for summer and driving with the windows down
Of course I’m weighing in on this. I can’t ever pinpoint one song, but I have narrowed it down to six that I just can’t stop playing:
1. Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”: cheerful and trippy at once (in that Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows” type of way)
http://open.spotify.com/track/4VRy0io2b0JLynmOZMW7pD
2. Twin Shadow – “Five Seconds”: Sappy 80′s-inspired synth pop from a dapper-looking British dude.
http://open.spotify.com/track/46yuOTlv85BFPcavyUPhbG
3. Jazzanova feat. Paul Randolph – “I Human”: electro-jazz beats and a catchy-as-hell chorus
http://open.spotify.com/track/2JaxDWqxvdXm5E1ZCobKUp
4. Oddisee – “Let it Go” – One of my favorite hip-hop songs this year. 70′s soul-inspired beat, catchy lyrics, and just fun top to bottom
http://open.spotify.com/track/1fwyVXwWU9DHEFNaWZbtLH
5. Hot Chip – “Night and Day”: At some point, guests will have the urge to dance and it will be as a result of this song coming on the playlist http://open.spotify.com/track/7FC2i1d3aB9GETS31cY4sM
6. Santigold – “Disparate Youth”: This may be the song of the year http://open.spotify.com/track/51G9eY5a9zlJ2oTKxgEXob
Yeah, so I went a little overboard, but you knew that would happen
are you sure you want to stop? you could just create the whole playlist for me….
Today is a “Man in the mirror” and “stuck on you” kind of day!
Add them!!
thanks fenny
We created a Pandora station for our store called Vintage Scout Music. (check it out if you have time) Some of the artists we’ve added lately are Washed Out, Tennis, The Xx, and Lana Del Rey. And ALWAYS include a little Johnny Cash. You can never go wrong with Johnny Cash.
Another fun and easy thing you can do is stream Songza. It plays a song list based on a mood or time of day.
Have a fun dinner party
Fleetwood Mac and Foster the People for dinner parties, Fiona Apple for my evening walks with my pooch, Erykah Badu for laying on my patio in the sun and reading…
Tory Burch has a playlist on Spotify and a few others on her blog that are so good! You should definitely check them out.
Cheers, Elizabeth of The Corner Apartment
Loving the “Rooftop Indie Rock” playlist on Songza. Oh, and throw in a little UB40, Red Red Wine for good measure. Loving what I am seeing so far for the party. Congrats!
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Breeze-Philip-Steir-Remix/dp/B0011ZUN3W
this remix of Summer Breeze is nothing short of amazing,
plus vintage Gap Band Gold is big fun!
xx
Hey Cassandra, I’m playing The Lumineers – Ho Hey on repeat right now, and I just heard October by The Helio Sequence, which doesn’t sound like a summer jam, but has a great laid back vibe to it! Good luck with your playlist!
I’m so embarrassed to say I love One Direction and “Call me Maybe” this summer!!
call me maybe has been on repeat for me for MONTHS. *high five!*
Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange! Enjoy!
It’s totally a guilty pleasure but I am loving “Timebomb” by Kylie Minogue!
I’ve had Melody Gardot’s album The Absence on repeat quite a bit while also indulging in Jamie Cullum. For summer get together’s I have a playlist with “Get Up”, “It’s My part”, “It Never Rains”, and”Fighting Smiles” all by Jonquil; along with “Sugars Splash” by Delicate Steve. All off the beaten path, but oh so wonderful!
Any song by Missy Higgins sets a joyful mood for the whole day! I suggest the songs, “Angela” and “Sugarcane.” You won’t regret it. Very calming.
Hi! Love your blog : ) Just discovered Motopony and Submotion Orchestra.
Relax and enjoy your party.
Listening to Carla Bruni over a cup of coffee reminds me of my summers in the french countryside as I used to listen to the same songs on the terrace watching the birds in the potager.
During the day, I definitely like Top 40 type music (hello, Call Me Maybe). But at night, I like music that’s a little more exotic, for lack of a better word, like Les Nubians (French sisters) and Gotan Project (tango-electronica), and also more “ambient” music like Zero 7 and Mandalay.
I’m obsessed with Pandora, let them do the picking for you!
I just discovered Rebecca Ferguson’s new album “Heaven” and I love it! Perfect while cooking some summer meals.
Ohhhh I’ve been obsessed with playlist making lately on Spotify! You can’t go wrong with a little old school Motown or Beach Boys, but right now my favorite indie tunes for a Summer vibe are:
“California Sunrise” by Dirty Gold
“Shake, Shake, Shake” by Bronze Radio Return
“Born With a Broken Heart” by David Wax Museum
“Flowers in Your Hair” by The Lumineers
“Don’t Stay Home” by In Like Lions
“Rio” by Hey Marseilles
“Let You Down” by Hungry Kids of Hungary
“Lady Percy” by King Charles.
(I know, probably have never heard of these bands, but I assure you, they’re worth checking out!)
Allison, your play list is awesome! Thanks for sharing. I made a Pandora Station based on your suggestions. Maybe you’d like our station too- Vintage Scout Music
I love I want you back for something upbeat and fun!
xx ks
If I can put a plug in for my own little brother, give a listen to TOMCAT special edition Jazz Mix Summertime or another on 8tracks, all versions of the song summertime. His other mixes are great too. Happy party!!!
I am Loving this cd by Richard Kelly Called Greenwich village..he has this really sexy smooth voice and it lends a great vibe to a party.
I weave it into my playlist and people always ask me who is singing. I bought mine on cd baby but I think you can download him from i tunes or http://www.richardkellymusic.net
Enjoy!!
currently obsessed with Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men! Good luck!
I definitely have to say my guilty pleasure this summer is Grouplove’s “Tongue Tied”, such a fun summer song! My stuck on repeat artists/songs this summer have been Jason Mraz, The Xx, Andy Grammer, Young the Giant, Mike Snow, Sleepy Head “Passion Pit”, Motorcycle “As the Rush Comes In”, Lonny Mars “My Heart Skips a Beat”, Alek Sandar “Your Dream”, Meiko, New Navy “Zimbabwe”, Stars “Personal”, Dave Barnes “Little Lies”, Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen “Good Time.” These are just a few but I hope they help!!
I’m not sure if anyone else suggested this yet – but Jango and 8tracks are favourites of mine (on my iPhone and on the web as well). Jango will let you choose a genre by station, or you can create a genre of your own by putting in an artist and it will chose similar music for you. You can skip as many times as you like, and it gets more and more customized based on the tracks you like. 8tracks doesn’t let you skip as much, but it’s nice that other people have already gone to the trouble of putting together a playlist, and there’s so much to choose from.
On a random note, a track I heard 2 summers ago on an all songs considered podcast was Brazilian by Gramophonedzie – I think it would make a great starting point for a summer mix.
1) Poolside- new album is total California Chill with some sexiness added, listen to “Slow Down” , ‘Harvest Moon”
2) Twin Shadow- is AMAZING, “Five Seconds” and “Run my heart” are total 80′s flashback
3) Cosmic Kids- Giselle-Silk http://soundcloud.com/cosmickids/silk-cosmic-kids-remix
4) Little Dragon- “Sunshine” http://soundcloud.com/littledragon/sunshine
5) Hanni El Khatib-”Build.Destroy.Rebuild” and “loved one”
6) Nick Waterhouse- ” I can only give you everything” http://soundcloud.com/nick-waterhouse/02-i-can-only-give-you
7) Raphael Saadiq- Stone Rollin, Movin Down the Line, Love that Girl…all fun loving summer songs
8) Phantogram – ” Don’t Move” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2RlV6cteiA
I can go on and on …
Two songs of this my summer are David Guetta – Titanium ft. Sia and Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra), they’re absolutely favorites!
And also it’s my playlist last summer
Free – Graffii 6, 1517 – The Whitest Boy Alive, Disparate Youth – Santigold, Silver Lining – Rilo Kiley, Under Your Spell – Desire, Hands on the Wheel – SchoolboyQ, Hold On – Sbtrkt, This Head I Hold – Electric Guest, Heartbeats – The Knife, Intro – The xx
love a good mix
ANYTHING by The Glitch Mob. Trust me.
This summer I’m loving Mayer Hawthorne. I’d call it modern Motown…his Pandora station is full of “summer classics”, eg Sam Cooke, Ben E. King, Darlene Love, etc. A great, almost retro, dinner party vibe for sure. If I had to pick just one, my favorite song of his would probably be “The Walk”- sassy!
P.S. love your blog!
ever since i downloaded the KCRW app on my ipad i’ve been listening to the music they put online and just remember my days of living in SoCal…
hope you’re having a great weekend!
Right now, I’m loving these albums…..
Zac Brown Band : Uncagged
Citizen Cope: One Lovely Day
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals: The Lion The Beast The Beat
ZZ Ward: Criminal
A little all over the place but all are perfect for lounging on a summer day or to add a little funk to a dinner party.
For more upbeat, dance party-worthy songs, I’ve been loving:
-Kimbra’s “Warrior”
-Foster the People’s “Call It What You Want”
-fun’s “Some Nights”
And if you like hip hop, I’m obsessed with the beat in Big Sean’s “Dance (A$$)” Remix feat. Nicki Minaj.
Good luck with your playlist!
Not gonna lie, I’m on a massive Beach Boys kick right now. Can’t have summer without ‘em!
Pitbull & Marc Anthony “rainover me” feels like simmer 2012 to me!
I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet, but I don’t think any party is complete without a little Stevie Wonder mixed in – he’s a favorite of mine anytime. Two favorites are Superstition and Reggae Woman. Hoping you will share your playlist – I need some new tunes as well. How fun!
i love the xx for during dinner, of monsters and men, adele, ellie goulding, lucy rose, matt wertz, angus & julia stone … have fun at your party!