Introducing: Lit Playlists

Come gather round, and warm your ears with the sweet, tactile sounds of my Lit Playlists – music for your literary productivity.

Let’s get the first most obvious question out of the way: Why do I feel qualified to build you a playlist?

Here’s a quick summary that might read like a #humblebrag, but please know that I know I am not the best out there. I just feel like I’ve done this and I enjoy this and as someone who needs music to write, I figured I would share what I know with the masses (or the two to four people that stumble upon this site - hi mom!).

Almost a decade ago, I started contributing music pieces to Z!NK magazine, for free. I remember calling out of work and being so nervous that I chugged a mimosa in my East Village studio before hopping on the phone with Kimbra (might have heard of her on Gotye’s track “Somebody That I Used To Know”) to interview her for a cover story we were working on. But then I interviewed Kevin Parker of Tame Impala in the lobby of a New York City hotel, and Xavier Rudd in a hot tent in Atlanta, GA, and then Tove Lo in a restaurant in Austin, TX, and it got easier and I fell deeper in love with understanding the artistry of music and then explaining it to others.

For about five years I reviewed albums and tracks for music blog Earmilk. I also had a monthly column for about a year called “The Indie Skim,” which meant I put together and contextualized chill playlists for others’ listening pleasure. I make a playlist for myself every month, because I like to musically capture the moments I’m in. My tastes run the gamut from indie folk, to classical, to 2000s emo-punk to even some of today’s hip hop. Remember, I *do* work at SoundCloud. So my playlists will be eclectic, but will also most certainly be lit. I’m hoping even if you don’t love everything on it, it’ll guide you to an artist or genre that works for whatever you’re doing, whether you’re testing UX copy or you’re crushing a TV script.

I typically like to ease in, but then get into a flow about 10-15 min in, so will try to have the playlists reflect this arc. Again, maybe that’s not for you and you have to skip a track. Maybe you shuffle the tracks or copy my playlist and reorder. I just want you to be inspired. You can stop reading here and let the music speak for itself or read my commentary in the May Lit Playlist to see that there’s a method for my madness. Or at least a perspective…