Summer Listening List Part II

Continuing on last week’s blog, here are a few more genres to explore this summer. I encourage you to especially listen to songs or albums you’ve never experienced before!

Funk/Soul/R&B:

I Got You (I Feel Good) [album] or any other album, James Brown
Songs In the Key of Life, or any other album, Stevie Wonder
The Temptations Sing Smokey, or any other album, The Temptations
What’s Going On, or any other album, Marvin Gaye
Lady Soul, or any other album, Aretha Franklin
Stand!, or any other album, Sly and the Family Stone
One In A Million, Aaliyah
Phrenology, or any other album, The Roots
Songs in A Minor, Alicia Keys

Alternative Rock:(Last blog touched on this, but here a couple more bands to check out!)

Surfer Rosa, Pixies
Ok Computer, or any other album, Radiohead
The Blue Album, Weezer
Odelay; Guero; Midnight Vultures The Information; any other album, Beck
Whatever and Amen, Ben Folds Five
The Colour and the Shape, or any other album; The Foo Fighters
Dookie, Greenday (...I’d personally stay away from American Idiot, but if you like it, hey, you like it!)
Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Red Hot Chili Peppers
AM, The Arctic Monkeys
Brothers, The Black Keys
Lonerism, Tame Impala

Hip-Hop/Rap:

Reasonable Doubt; The Blueprint; The Black Album, or any other album, Jay-Z
Illmatic, or any other album, Nas
Ready to Die, Notorious BIG
Stankonia, or any other album, Outkast
All Eyez On Me, or any other album, Tupac (2pac)
The Score, The Fugees
Good Kid, MAAD City, Kendrik Lamar
Tales of the Forgotten Melodies, Wax Tailor

Pop:Pop music tends to be more mainstream, so I will include artists only from previous decades that you may have never heard of:

Pet Sounds, or any other album, The Beach Boys
Every album from The Beatles
Like A Virgin, or any other album, Madonna
1999; Purple Rain, or any other album, Prince
Thriller, or any other album, Michael Jackson

Electronic/Dance:

Discovery, or any other album, Daft Punk
LCD Soundsystem, LCD Soundsystem
Cross, Justice
Classics, Ratatat
I (one), Crystal Castles
Vava Voom, Bassnectar
TNGHT, Hudson Mohawke X Lunice
Latch, Disclosure

PLEASE NOTE: Especially in the alternative rock and hip-hop/rap categories, there will be explicit lyrics. If you are underage please check with you parents or guardian before listening to these albums. I have chosen these albums for their musical, lyrical and cultural influences so keep that in mind when listening to tracks with more profound poetry!

Happy listening,