Hold on to the Sun: a Partly Cloudy Playlist

Happy Record Store Day! Maybe one or more of these songs will tempt a purchase in your favorite independent record store...

I've pondered making a three-playlist series: sunrise/daytime, sunset/evening, and late night. That's still possible, but "sunset" is probably getting voted off the island. So first up is the sunrise/daytime playlist, which swings from electronica to word jazz within three songs. Lyrically, those songs move from "I smell your sweat on my skin/Breakfast in Vegas on cocaine and gin" to to "When everything's orangey goofy like this, trouble's a joke/Just an orangey joke", separated by a song about "Lazyitis", and preceded by PJ Harvey's murder ballad, "A Perfect Day Elise". Hopefully, it transitions smoothly; it isn't meant as flippant. There are just so many stellar dark day songs... I also find it interesting that sunrise, daylight, daytime, and related concepts have that duality of sparking cheerful/hopeful songs and dark/sad songs.

While this playlist is "partly cloudy", if you'd prefer a cheerful-sunny playlist, you could easily omit the songs you don't care for and add some happier sunny tunes.

A few suggestions:

- The bonus track to this playlist: Let's Active - Every Dog Has His Day (on Every Dog Has His Day)
- Fountains of Wayne - "Radiation Vibe" (on Fountains of Wayne)
- Aqualung - "Brighter Than Sunshine" (on Strange and Beautiful)... mentions sunshine as a contrast, so it's not that sunny, but it's nonetheless beautiful [disclaimer: see origin of blog's name.]
- Estrume'n'tal - "Sol Si Do Si Mi Re La" - (on Surfme'n'tal and War of the Surf Guitars) ... "Sun" sneaks in the title, in a manner of speaking, in this Brazillian group's fizzy surf-punk-rock stomp. Shades of The Ramones, Shonen Knife, and The Ventures... and no wonder it's so much fun. It's also just over two minutes, in the Ramones spirit - get in, do a great song, get out... speaking of which, I'm getting out into the sun... so [/ado]

Hold on to the Sun:

1. 747s - Missed That Sun (on Zampano)
2. Joy Zipper - Out Of The Sun (on American Whip)
3. The Olivia Tremor Control - A New Day (on Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One)
4. The Wailin' Jennys - Beautiful Dawn (on 40 Days)
5. Drive-By Truckers - Daylight (on A Blessing and a Curse)
6. The Webb Brothers - Some Velvet Morning (on Total Lee! The Songs of Lee Hazlewood)
7. PJ Harvey - A Perfect Day Elise (on Is This Desire?)
8. Praga Khan - Breakfast In Vegas (on Twentyfirstcenturyskin)
9. Happy Mondays - Lazyitis (on Bummed)
10. Ken Nordine - Orange (on Colors)
11. Pernice Brothers - There Goes The Sun (on Discover a Lovelier You)
12. Amy LaVere - Day Like Any (on This World Is Not My Home)
13. Lori Carson - Hold On to the Sun (on The Finest Thing)
14. Langhorne Slim - By The Time The Sun's Gone Down (on When the Sun's Gone Down)

Right-click to download songs:

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